Jade mouse
by lunagirl388
Summary: After Kim disappears in the sands of time; it is up to Shego to find her and bring her back. squeal to Ruby Lion
1. The sitch

Jade Mouse

After Kim disappears in the sands of time; it is up to Shego to find her and bring her back.

**Chapter 1: The sitch**

Shego slowly opened her eyes, the pain in her stomach had died down substantially, there was still a sting left behind. She looked around and found she was still in the empty room. She rolled over onto her back and welcomed the relief the cold marble had to offer. She slowly lifted her shirt and tenderly padded the place her wound had been. The wound had healed over but, it was still painful to the touch. She sighed and carefully sat up, wincing at the pain when she moved. She took another look around the room and found it was empty, she had hoped the ordeal was all a hallucination; she was sadly mistaken.

She stood up, clutching her stomach as she straightened up, she noticed the glint of light at the end of the room. She walked painfully toward the glint and stooped down to pick up the ring. There was nothing that stood put about it. No extra jewels or decretive designs, just a gold band with a spherical ruby parched at the top. This is what they had risked everything for? This is what people killed for and died for? This one simple ring; Shego was disgusted by the ring in her hand. She pocketed the ring and made her way to the exit.

When she emerged she found herself in the dark. The further she got from the temple the more complete the wall became, closing the room away from the outside world. By the time she had set foot on the sore the wall was complete and the temple was closed. She didn't bother to look back or acknowledge the temple's existence. She only continued to walk down the sore cursing they're long journey and questioning Kim's survival.

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Shego had blindly traveled for three days with little sleep and no food. She had wondered to a pay phone and absently dropped the money in and dialed the number, then waited.

"Hey…I need your help…There was an accident and I don't know what to do now…I tried but…Okay…Where to?...Okay…I love you too mom." She hung up the phone and began walking down the street.

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_New York…_

Shego knocked on the heavy oak door of a small house in the suburbs. The door swung open quickly and Shego found herself trapped in her mother's embrace. She absently made her way into the house, she could barely hear her mother talking as she made her way into the kitchen. She took a seat at the table and rested her chin in her hands.

"I have no idea what happened mom." She said in dull monotone voice. Gina smoothed her daughter's hair and gave her a solemn smile. "It was like she turned into a completely different person. I mean she blasted a hole through my stomach." Shego continued with a little more vigor.

"Well now tell me, what exactly happened?" Gina asked, taking a seat next to her daughter.

"Well we found the temple right, and the key wouldn't work unless I touched it. When the door opened, we were looking at this huge circular room it looked like it was just built. And the ring was just lying there on the floor, when she saw it she rushed over. But when he picked it up she changed; her eyes were different. Like she was possessed, I tried to get her out of there and get the ring away from her. She struggled for a moment but, then she just stopped and turned around…she said _I'm sorry_ and blew me away." She paused for a moment to rub her stomach.

"Then I don't know, from the looks of it…it was like something inside of her was on fire. She took the ring off and threw it next thing I know this giant ball of light is sucking her in; I tried to hold onto her as long as I could but, I was too weak. She was sucked in and I blacked out. I woke up and the room was empty…So you know more about this than anyone else I know mom what the hell happened?"

Gina nodded quietly and thought for a moment. "I could tell you a bold face lie that will make you feel all better or I could tell you the truth but, it will sting more than the wound you got on your stomach there."

Shego hesitated for a moment. "Nothing could hurt more than this."

"That's my girl. Well, what happened is she wasn't worthy. I know hard to believe right? A girl who selflessly saves the world countless times is unworthy. But this was bond to come; she let the power go to her head so she paid the price for greed."

"And what would that be?"

"You know the penalty, the unworthy are subject to time's wrath. For all we know she is somewhere in the past; we'll just have to hope she can handle herself in wherever she's been dropped."

"So what am I supposed to do? Sit back and twiddle my thumbs while she goes through hell? Should I just destroy the damn ring now and move on with my life?"

Gina's eyes went wide. "Wait a minute, you have the ring?"

"Yeah I took it before I left. I've been walking around with this damn thing for days, hell I should just destroy it. I've got no use for it."

"You can't destroy it."

"Hell yeah I can, just get me a hammer."

"No I mean you can't destroy it. Don't know why, but many have tried and failed with flying colors."

"So what am I supposed to do?"

"Well sweetie, for starters you can eat something and get some sleep. Then you can stop bitching and moaning and find her."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'll explain it later, now get up we're going out for dinner."


	2. Discovery

**Chapter 2: Discovery**

Shego lay on the couch studying the ring for the hundredth time. How was she supposed to use this damn thing? She didn't even want to look at it let alone use it. She sighed and rolled it between her fingers; she didn't think it would even fit. Suddenly the ring expanded, she dropped the ring and scrambled off the couch. She peered over the edge of the couch. The ring lay still on the couch; she raised a brow and poked at the ring, darting back the moment she came into contact with the ring.

She slowly picked up the ring; curiosity was getting the better of her now. She slipped that ring on her finger and braced herself for what might happen. She clenched her eyes shut and gritted her teeth for a long moment, nothing happened. She opened one eye and saw nothing was happening. She breathed a sigh of relief and relaxed. Now that the first step was done, she examined the ring on her finger.

_Damn gold looks bad on me_. She thought to herself. The gold on the ring began to melt away leaving silver behind it. Shego blinked in amazement, this was going to be interesting.

"I can get anything I want." She said to herself. She thought for a moment before an idea came to her, if she could get anything, she wanted just by thinking about it. She concentrated on the thought of Kim, nothing happened and she was not surprised.

She focused on a new image; suddenly Wade fell onto the floor in front of her. His landing shook the floor. Shego looked down at him as he struggled to climb to his feet but, froze when he saw Shego smiling down at him.

"Where am I?" He stammered, terrified he might cross the green skinned villainess. Shego rolled her eyes; this was very interesting.

"I've got some bad news for you...get off the floor your embarrassing yourself." Shego said taking a seat on the couch. Wade stood up and brushed himself off; he looked around the room in astonishment.

"Okay really, where am I?" He asked again.

"Shut up and listen. I'm going to make this quick. Kimmie is gone. We found the Ruby Lion and she ended up getting sucked back in time. It's all because of this damn ring." She lifted her hand to show him the ring. "You're here because I need your help."

Wade still looked puzzled. "Hold on. Let me get this straight…the Ruby Lion is real?"

Shego nodded.

"And that ring there on your finger is it?"

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Wow it's nothing like I thought it would be."

"Get back on track nerd linger."

"Right, so what do you need my help for?"

"Look I know you and the buffoon are busy looking for me and Kimmie, good luck with that, I need you to get as much information on this damn thing as possible."

"And why should I help you?"

"Nice to see you've suddenly grown a pair but, I only asked to be nice, you're going to help me; so I can find Kim and bring her back."

"I'll find out everything I can, now can you send me back? This is really starting to freak me out."

Shego shrugged and Wade vanished. She looked down at the ring on her finger. _I hope I did that right._ She thought to herself.


	3. Testing the waters

**Chapter 3: Testing the waters**

Shego slammed her book on the table, Gina jumped at the sound spilling her coffee. She glared at Shego as she soaked up the coffee with a rag. Shego had been studying the same book all morning and her frustration was now evident. She had been trying to get as much information on the Ruby Lion as she could but was getting nowhere slowly. It had been weeks since her first experiment with the ring and she had yet to build up the courage to try anything else.

"You should really learn to control your frustration Elyse, this very expensive coffee." Gina said setting the rag aside.

"Well this is unnerving, it looks like if I want any useful information I have to go by trial and error and, I'm pretty sure that would kill me." She shoved the book away and rubbed her forehead.

"Well I never thought I'd see the day. My daughter is scared. _My daughter. _Scared." Gina gave a disappointed sigh and turned away. "_I_ certainly didn't raise you like this; I thought you were the stubborn type of girl who will stop at nothing to get what she wants. Now you're going to let a little thing like possible death, get in the way of saving that girl." She turned back to Shego with a stern look. "Who are you and what have you done with my little girl?"

Shego was outraged, her mother, _her mother_, was calling her weak. She wasn't going to stand for that. "I am not scared and, I will not sit here and let you say otherwise." Shego was livid now; she stood from her seat and stormed out of the house.

Gina smiled and continued to enjoy her coffee. "Just needs a little push now and then." She said into her mug.

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Shego sat on the front porch fuming at her mother's words and glaring at the ring. She wasn't a coward; she was going to prove it right now. She was going to prove her mother wrong. The only problem was: what to do first?

She had come across a few theories on what the ring could do. Teleportation, summoning, complete control over time itself. The list went on and on. She played with the ring on her finger thinking of what to do first. Summoning was already proven with Wade, teleportation was as good a place to start today.

She thought about a house she owned on the beach, she closed her eyes and felt as though she was falling. She quickly opened her eyes and landed face first onto the white sand. She picked herself up and spit the sand out of her mouth. She dusted herself off and looked around the empty beach. Behind her was the house she had been thinking of, she walked up the path and placed a shaky hand on the railing of the steps.

"I wonder." She said to herself with a smile. She focused on a new thought and closed her eyes; she felt the same sensation of falling. She quickly opened her eyes and landed on her feet. She found herself in an office she had never seen before; she looked along the walls of the office and found her evidence. Hanging on the wall was a picture of Kim and Ron at their graduation. She resisted the urge to express her joy. Finally she was going to get what she had been waiting for. Voices came from behind the door; she smiled and pressed herself against the wall next to the door.

Ron opened the door and Shego quickly stepped in front of him. She landed a swift punch to his nose and watched him fall back. "That, buffoon, is for that shit you pulled last time." She announced proudly as she kneed down to face him on the floor, she stopped within inches of his face and chucked. "See you around." She said before she vanished, leaving Ron bleeding in the threshold of his office.

Shego broke her fall on a table when she appeared in her mother's kitchen. She lay on her back in the pile of wood that used to be the kitchen table and smiled. Her mother ran to the doorway after hearing the crash.

"Okay, that hurt." Shego said in a labored tone.

"You better fix that table." Gina ordered before leaving.

Shego lay in the wreckage for a minute before painfully climbing to her feet. She stretched out her aching back and glanced down at what used to be the kitchen table. _Great, now I have to fix the table._ She thought to herself. The table began to slowly piece itself back together, moments later everything looked as though thing ever happened.

"Spankin." Shego said without prior thought. She caught herself but it was too late. The famous Kim Possible phrase she heard so much, she had forbid her from using it, was out in the open. The magnitude of the word hit her; she leaned against the table to brace herself as a sudden rush of vertigo hit. Kim was gone and she had no clue where or when, she was.

A sudden, harsh, feeling of emptiness overcame her. She couldn't find any way to save the girl or even know if she was still alive. She missed Kim more than anything else, she rested her head in her hands, and she couldn't do anything to help protect her this time. How was she supposed to do this? How was she supposed to save someone she couldn't find?

She felt the sudden rush of wind around her; she lifted her head from her hands and saw the dark earth below her. She began screaming curses as she prepared herself for the landing that could kill her. She splashed into a deep puddle of mud; she sank to the bottom and struggled to the surface gasping for air. Blindly she waded through the thick mud and climbed onto dry land attempting to get the mud off her face.

A voice came from behind her but she could not understand the language. She had finally gotten the mud out of her eyes only to see she was in the dark surrounded by angry spear welding women. Another voice spoke but she still could not understand their words. The clink of chains set her off into a furry of kicks and punches. She cleared a path for herself in the group and ran through the dark barely managing to dodge trees and rocks. She felt something tug at her ankle and before she could react she was flipped upside down. Her head hit the ground before she was lurched upward. Now she dangled, unconscious, in the air as the women surrounded her.


	4. New world, old habits

**Chapter 4: New world, old habits**

Shego awoke to the rush of cold water hitting her face. She let out a shocked yell and tried to raise her hands in defense, only to find they were tied behind her back. The icy water hit her again and she screamed in frustration. She found herself in a tent with two women dressed in armor.

"Enough!" She yelled at her assailants, the sound of buckets hitting the hard ground echoed through the air. They spoke in a language she could not understand. Shego screamed in frustration. "Would you all just speak English? I can't understand a damn thing you're saying!" She felt as though her blood would boil soon.

"Look at her skin." One woman noted.

"Would you stop staring?" Shego retaliated, she hadn't taken notice to her sudden understanding, and her anger was blinding her from the change.

"Silence!" Boomed the other woman.

Shego growled in anger, she wasn't going to stand for this freak show audience. She ignited her hands and burned through the ropes that bond her. She laughed and leapt to her feet. The women gulped and drew their swords.

"You can save yourself a lot of trouble if you both just back down now." Shego warned with a wicked smile. The women scoffed and lunged at her; Shego easily dodged the attacks, kicking one woman in the stomach and punching the other in the throat. They fell to the ground gasping for air, Shego kicked their swords away and kneed down between them.

"Okay you have three seconds to tell me where I am and what I'm doing here." Shego warned.

"We are instructed not to converse with prisoners." One woman said through gritted teeth.

Shego frowned. "Wrong answer."

Before she could begin her torture tactic she felt a slight sting in her shoulder. Her eyes became heavy and everything around her slowed down. She fell to the floor and blacked out. A group of women circled around her swords drawn.

"Fire coming from her hands? We'll have to keep an eye on this one until we return home. I have the feeling I'll be in the queen's favor for this." One woman said, sliding her sword back into its sheath.

"Yes captain." The women said in unison.

"Secure her in chains. I want the two best warriors on guard. We head home at dawn." The captain said. She turned on a heel and exited the tent.

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Shego awoke to a blinding head ach; it felt as though it were about to split her head open. She looked up to find she was alone in the middle of a small a cage. She scoffed at her luck and at her surroundings. The air was filled with the sounds of horses' hooves beating the dirt. She saw a troop of women seated perched atop huge houses behind her; a pair of horses pulled her along while she sat in her cage. She looked over her shoulder to see she her hands chained. She rolled her eyes and moved back against the bars of the cage.

"So is there an in flight movie on this trip or what?" Shego asked loudly. She decided she would have some fun and be as obnoxious as possible. When no one answered she pushed further. "Do I get anything to read at least? I mean, hell, I don't have anything else to do."

"Silence." A woman commanded from behind.

"I'm just sayin' it's not very hospitable of you to lock a girl up in a cage with nothing to entertain her." Shego teased.

"Silence!" The woman said again as she struck the cage.

"Fine, fine. Guess I'll just have to entertain myself." Shego said with a mischievous smile.


	5. Lost and found

**Chapter 5: Lost and found**

"Majesty, the troop has returned. The captain wishes to speak with you."

A tall dark haired woman sat on her thrown; a gold band perched atop her head. Blue eyes stared down at the messenger kneed before her. She sighed heavily and waved the young messenger off. Moments later a blonde woman stormed into the throne room.

"Hippolyta, our tribe's unbridled mare! I have returned from my good will mission!" She announced proudly.

"As if I didn't know that already. What have you brought with you?" The queen said an annoyed tone.

The captain shrank for a moment but straightened her demeanor and snapped her fingers. Two women dressed in white robes entered the room, each one holding a platter with a different treasure.

"I bring with me gold from our sister tribe to the west." The first woman stepped forward and bowed to the queen showing her a platter full of gold. The queen nodded and the woman stepped to the side.

"I bring spices from our sister tribe to the east." The second woman stepped forward but was waved off by the queen.

"Er…there is one more majesty, a strange intruder to our land."

The queen sighed and gave a half hearted nod. The captain snapped her fingers again. Two women came into the room roughly pulling Shego with them. The queen only stared down at Shego who scowled at her in return.

"Captain Bana, am I supposed to be impressed? You return from a month long good will mission to present me mere gold, spices and a so called intruder."

"Majesty, this intruder attacked several of my soldiers, with a flamed palm. Not to mention riled our horses and made a spectacle of my finest soldiers." The captain argued.

"Captain, are you trying to tell me that you can't handle one strange woman?"

Shego was both insulted and intrigued by the queen seated before her, she felt the sudden urge to cause more trouble. Before she could take the chance to raise any mischief; a rush of chatter outside of the room. Without warning a cloaked figure walked into the throne room.

The queen suddenly took interest as the figure passed through. Shego felt a sudden tingling warmth when the figure passed by and glanced back at her. The figure stopped at the captain's side of the throne and kneed in respect.

"Majesty, I have returned from my mission to the Gargareans, they send well wishes and hope for trade before our festival." The figure removed her hood. Shego saw a wave of flaming red hair revealed from under it.

The queen stood from her throne and sauntered over smiling widely. "General Possible, it is so good to see you. Come, I want to hear all about your trip." Shego blinked in amazement, there was no way this could be. The queen began to lead the general out; Shego caught full sight of Kim Possible. Both women were locked in a disbelieving stare. Kim stopped and frowned at the women.

"Why is this woman in chains?" Kim commanded. The women looked at one another.

"That woman was caught intruding on our land and attacked my soldiers." Bana said sternly.

"Aw, so this is the woman I've been hearing about? The moment I arrived I've been hearing about a strange woman giving our fair captain a lot of mischief." Kim said in an affronting tone.

"You have not seen what this woman can do." Bana quarreled.

Kim scoffed. "I've heard she fell from the sky. She has the strength of ten and flames that erupt from her hands, yes I know. Did it ever come to mind that maybe you have captured a goddess?"

The queen smiled. "If this woman truly is a goddess, we must hold a test so that we may have proof."

Kim nodded in agreement. "Yes, a test. But first we must prepare her for the test to come."

Bana shook with anger. "Prepare her for the test." She commanded before she turned and stormed out of the room.

Kim and Shego gave one another a final glance before the queen led Kim away.

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Shego found herself in a new place, though she was surprised she was not seated in a cell. She was grateful her hands were free now; she rubbed her wrists and looked at the servants around her.

Kim entered the room with two guards in tow. "Wait for me outside. You servants leave as well." Kim said sternly. The room emptied out quickly leaving the Kim alone with Shego. Kim waited for the door to shut before she threw her arms around Shego's neck.

"It's been so long, I knew I'd see you again." Kim whispered excitedly.

"What do you mean long? It was only two months since you disappeared."

"Shego, I've been here for five years."

"How did you survive that long?" Shego realized what a stupid question that was.

"It wasn't easy, the first few months I was living in the wild. Then the Amazons found me...more like I found them. Long story short I ended up here."

Shego blinked. She knew the girl could handle herself but, to pull this off. She was impressed. "Okay well now that I found you, we can go back to our own time and get back to business."

"Oh we can't leave now." Kim recoiled.

"Why not?" Shego demanded.

"Well, you have a test to take and this is the most important time of the year. We can't leave." Kim pleaded.

"Fine. But, when that's all over we're out of here. You got that?"

Kim nodded happily.

"Now. What do I have to do during this test?"


	6. A test of wills

**Chapter 6: A test of wills**

The queen sat on her throne, Kim and Bana stood on either side of her. Shego was escorted into the room surrounded by guards, she was happy not to be chained. They left Shego to stand alone in the middle of the room.

"You shell have three tests in order to prove your status as a god. The first will be a test of your power. If you truly are a goddess, you will have no objection to this." The queen announced.

Shego ignited her hands. She made a show of dowsing them and reigniting them, playing with the plasma and making a show out of it. When she finished the guards cheered and Shego waited for the next test.

"The second test shall be one of strength. If you are a goddess you will be able to lift twice as much as our strongest." The queen said.

Two servants led a horse into the room. Shego blinked for a moment and gave the queen a questioning stare. The queen nodded and grinned as though she were playing with her. Shego shrugged and made her way to the animal. She stroked its mare and neck to calm it; she looked up at the queen and scoffed before she lifted one of the servants onto its back. She crouched under the horse and began to lift it off the ground; she stood up right and walked ten steps toward the throne but, set the horse down when it became nervous. She helped the servant off the horse and arrogantly bowed as the room filled with cheering guards.

"Your final test will be one of skill. You will battle my best warrior; if you defeat her I will consider this claim and attest to your status. If you lose, however, you will be put to death."

Bana stepped forward.

"I said my best warrior." The queen said in a harsh tone. "General Possible will be the one to fight."

"Majesty the general is far from the best. Allow me to disprove this, imposter so that we may execute her and get on with our plans." Bana argued.

The queen turned to Kim who modestly shrugged. "Let her fight, I think it will do her some good to be knocked down a peg." Kim announced. The guards chuckled amongst themselves as Bana glared at Kim when reddening cheeks.

"You will eat your words general." Bana said before approaching Shego.

A servant presented Shego with a sword and shield. "No I'm good." She waved the servant off. Bana scoffed and drew her sword.

"Refusing your shield and sword, well this should be quick then." She announced. She lunged at Shego who raised a brow and stepped out of the way just before the attack.

She ignited a hand and took hold of the blade. With her free hand she wrapped her fingers around the woman's throat. She raised the temperature in her hand and melted the blade, Bana watched in horror as liquid steel melted between Shego's fingers. Shego pushed the woman away and dropped to a defensive stance. She could have won the fight right quickly but she wanted to have some fun with the arrogant captain.

Shego wasted no time attacking the woman, each punch and kicked went uninterrupted; Shego was beginning to grow bored with this fight. She kicked the woman's feet out from under her and ignited her hand once again. She slashed the marbled floor just inches from Bana's head. Shego smiled and backed away from her opponent, Bana stared at the claw marks in the marble.

Everyone in the room laughed while Shego offered Bana a hand. Bana refused the help and climbed to her feet. She marched back up to the queen's side and waited for the laughter to subside. The queen finally stood from her throne and raised her hand and the laughter stopped.

"With such an easy defeat of my…best warrior with your bare hands, I can confidently say you must be a goddess. Please, accept my apology for the misunderstanding."

"Ah it's fine, I uh…I had fun." Shego replied.

Kim held back a fit of laughter at Shego's response. Bana blushed and growled angrily, she looked toward the queen for some reaction but got nothing.

The queen approached Shego. "Come with me." She whispered.

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"If I were you I'd thank Kim for the help." The queen said when they were out of ear shot.

"Why do you say that?" Shego asked mildly amused at the informality of statement.

"Because, I know how you are. I knew the moment I laid eyes on you. You're not a god, you're a thief."

"So if you know I'm an imposter then why am I still alive?"

"Kim asked for my help, I owe it to her after all she has done for me and you amuse me. Captain Bana is such a nuisance, a great military strategist but the dullest and most arrogant woman I've ever met. I've only seen one person defeat her in such an embarrassing manor and that person was Kim."

"So what is going to keep me alive?"

"I just want you to stay until the festival is over, after that you are free to leave. Not that you have a choice really, the constellations are changing and the Ruby Lion is at its weakest before the ram enters the sky, then and only then will the ring reach its full power and you can return home."

Shego blinked. "So what you're saying is this ring is useless until the constellations change?"

"Yes. But not to worry, at the end of the festival the constellations will have changed and you will be free to leave."

Shego thought about this for a moment and nodded. "Okay since I have no choice anyway."


	7. The oracle

**Chapter 7: The oracle**

Over the next few days Shego spent much of her time entertaining the queen, Kim often joined them but as the festival grew nearer she was seen less and less. The night before the festival Shego sat with the queen in her chamber, they had been sparing for over an hour before Kim interrupted.

"Hello all." Kim said happily as she strolled into the room.

"Aw look who came to play." The queen teased over the clash of swords.

"Not here to play I'm afraid, I'm here with one last piece of business before the festival starts tomorrow night." Kim said slightly disappointed she could not join them. The queen sighed and dropped her sword, Shego set hers aside.

"As requested I have handpicked the carriers but as customary you have to pick from our captives."

"Right now? I was finally going to beat her." The queen protested. Shego shook her head in disagreement. Kim only shrugged and led them out to the village that surrounded the palace; before them stood a line of men, chained together. The queen started from one end of the line and looked over each man carefully.

"What this all about?" Shego asked Kim.

"Well this is an Amazon tribe, men are strictly forbidden from entering the village or even setting foot on our territory. This is the only time of year we raise this rule. The festival is to honor the coming of spring and populated the village to keep from dying out. They're strict on that too, only the most beautiful women in the tribe are chosen to give birth and only the best men are chosen to impregnate them. We capture about fifty or sixty men and put them through a series of tests to weed out the healthiest, strongest, fastest and smartest men. Then it's up to the queen to pick the men worthy of impregnating the most beautiful Amazons."

"What happens to the men after all this is over?"

"Well, the other tribes kill them. But we send them back to their villages. It's less of a hassle that way."

"So if no men are allowed to live here, what happens to the boys who are born?" Shego asked dreading the answer that would come.

"Well it's different for each tribe. One tribe kills them, another sends them off into the wild to fend for themselves but, we send them back to their fathers. It's really up to the queen on those decisions, our queen doesn't believe in killing an innocent child so we send them back to their father's."

"So how long does this festival last?" Shego asked.

"Three days. Starts tomorrow the moment the sun goes down, everyone drinks, eats and fun times are had by all…a certain group of women more than the rest of us but, fun is still had by all."

The queen approached them. "How many woman?" She asked in a business like tone.

"About thirty. Why?" Kim questioned.

"There are only four suitable men." The queen replied.

"So seven women to each man; one of them will have to take on an eighth."

"They can handle it." The queen said passively. She turned to one of the guards, find Captain Bana. Have her take care of this, if she has any objections tell to take them to me." The guard nodded and ran off to find Bana.

"Now, Kim you are going to join us for a sparring match."

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The clashing of swords rang throughout the air, jeers and taunting shot between all three women as they spared. The occasional word of advice would break through and enhance the ongoing match.

"Majesty, explain to me why I'm suddenly taking on the brunt of the general's tasks." Bana demanded as she stormed into the room.

"Captain I trust you competed your task before you came to complain to me about my delegation." The queen said without stopping the match. Kim and Shego chuckled as the match went on.

"I would not question your delegation majesty, but I would like to know why I was pulled from my chambers to handle…" Bana was cut off by the queen suddenly braking away from the match and approaching her.

"Oh I'm so sorry captain; I didn't mean to take you from the warmth of your women to handle one small task. Gods forbid I ask the general to assist in a training session and drag you from your bed. Maybe I should just appoint a new captain so you can laze about the palace coming and going as you please; would that be more to your liking?"

Bana shrank back for a moment and straightened her posture. "No majesty, I…that won't be necessary."

"Hey Bana, you mind running along we have a lesson to finish." Shego added. Bana gritted her teeth and left the room, she couldn't argue. She could only storm out of the room and vent her anger.

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The village was a massed with all the women chattering excitedly as they filled tables with freshly made food and wine. Young girls were shooed out of the square to make room for the finishing touches on the stage. The sun was beginning to set and the queen paced the floor of the throne room. Kim stood by quietly waiting for her to calm herself. Shego walked into the room and immediately noticed the queen's nervous behavior.

"Okay I'm going to bypass the fact I have to wear this ridiculous robe, though it is comfortable, that's beside the point why is she pacing?"

"She always gets this nervous before the festival; we're waiting on the oracle."

Shego watched the nervous queen pace the floor. She was beginning to get dizzy. "The oracle? Don't tell me you really believe that."

Kim shushed her harshly. "Don't talk like that, these people are very superstitious, you say the wrong thing about their beliefs and your life is a living hell from then on out."

The queen stopped pacing and glared at the women. "Unless you two are talking about the oracle's location as of now, I suggest that you stifle yourselves."

"Relax the oracle is probably just outside that door." Shego said. At that moment the doors opened and a hooded figure came into the room escorted by Bana.

The figure stopped and turned to Shego and removed their hood. Shego found herself staring at a girl no older than sixteen. Even though her eyes were clouded over it felt as though she were looking into Shego's very soul. Shego felt a twinge of discomfort as the girl reached up and touched face. Shego wanted to recoil but found herself frozen; everything around her seemed to disappear until she was locked in darkness with this cloudy eyed girl. The girl let her hand fall and approached the queen. Shego left weak but balanced herself by resting a hand on Kim's shoulder.

"The year ahead will be prosperous, crops will flourish and alliances will grow stronger, but I see conflict in your land, I see turmoil and pain brought down on your people and I see betrayal by one of your own." The girl said ominously.

"Who will betray me?" The queen demanded.

"I cannot tell you. But unlikely heroes are amongst you, keep them close and you shall prevail." She turned to leave and looked in Shego's direction she smiled and pulled her hood over her head. She left the throne room with Bana following close behind. Shego felt the rush of vertigo, her knees buckled under her weight and she fell to the floor. Kim dropped down to her side while the queen called for help.

It didn't take long for Shego to wake in daze. Her head throbbed to the beat of heart. A servant gave her water while Kim helped her to her feet. Shego left the room without a word, leaving everyone to question what had happened between her and the oracle.


	8. A new task

**Chapter 8: A new task **

The streets were filled with the sounds of cheerful woman chattering about the celebration ahead. Mothers shooed their daughters away from stands as they spoke with merchants gossiping and bartering over goods. The sun began to set leaving trailed hues of red, orange, yellow and purple over the horizon.

In the palace Kim stormed into Shego's room, concern contorted her usually solemn features. Her sword bounced against her thigh as she trotted to where Shego lay on the floor. She was much paler than normal; a cold sweat beaded her body. Kim dropped to her side and turned her head to check her eyes. Shego shivered at the touch and recoiled.

"What happened?" Kim asked turning Shego's head back to face her. Shego's eyes widened in as she sat up abruptly and pushed Kim away from her.

"Don't touch me." She demanded, lifting herself off the floor. Kim frowned and climbed to her feet.

"I'm just trying to understand what happened. The oracle has never done that before, obviously there was something about you that made her do that. Now tell me what happened." She made a point to approach Shego and lock her gaze on the woman.

"Shit Princess, I don't know okay? It was intense, I thought she was going to sick the life out of me." Shego said. Fear flashed in her eyes and was soon replaced with a blissful gaze. "I don't know what happened, Kimmie, but I think we may run into her again."

Kim was confused. "Why do you say that?" Kim asked. Shego shrugged and spoke no farther on the subject. She only walked toward the bed and took a seat. Kim sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. Just then the queen burst through the door. Bana was close behind.

"I want to talk to you." She commanded in a fierce tone as she halted in front of Shego. Shego only stared at her and blinked. She made a sweeping motion with her arm toward the empty space next to her on the bed. The queen huffed. "I don't know what happened in there and I don't want to know. But I want you close to me from now on. You are going to be a part of my personal guard." Her tone was final and gave no room for argument. Bana's eyes widened in shock and horror.

"Majesty! that would not be very wise. She only appeared a month ago! How can we know to trust her?"

The queen glared at the captain for a long moment. "Captain, are you undermining my decision? Because, I distinctly remember your objection when I appointed the general as my personal guard. She has served me loyally for the past five years. Now if you truly think I am so incompetent in my decision making then why don't you go to the council with your complaint so they can appoint a new queen, one to your liking maybe?"

Bana shrank back and murmured "No majesty." She stood back and waited for Shego's response.

"What makes you think I'm going to say yes?" Shego asked defiantly. Kim and Bana both gasped at her openly. No one ever stood up to the queen like this.

The queen raised a brow. "Because I have exactly what you have been looking for."

Shego glanced at Kim. "So you're resorting to blackmail to get me?" Shego demanded as she stood. She and the queen stood nose to nose now. Bana rested her hand on the hilt of her sword. "I like you." Shego said with a smile.

The queen smiled in return. "And I you. So what is your answer?"

"Does our deal still stand?"

The queen nodded in agreement.

Shego shrugged. "As long as we're clear on that I'm fine. Looks like you got yourself a new body guard queenie."

The queen threw back her head and laughed. Kim shook her head at Shego's brave use of words. The queen turned to Bana now with a light smile. "Bana go and fit her with a uniform and sword. I won't have my personal guard running around unarmed and in robes!"

Bana grunted and motioned for Shego to follow her. Shego gave Kim a quick wink before following the captain out of the room.

In the barracks of the palace Bana impatiently called a guard toward them. "Go and find a uniform for her. The queen has made the _goddess_ a part of her personal guard." The woman nodded and hurried off to do her task.

Shego raised a brow at the angry woman. "Damn Bana, who shit in your cheerios this morning?" Bana glared at her in confusion and disgust. "Okay wrong term, forgot I'm not in Kansas anymore, what is up with you. You're always so angry. Is there a stick permanently shoved up your ass were you just born like that?"

Bana reeled at the statement. "If you must know why I am so vexed I shall tell you. I was the queen's right hand. She turned to me for confirmation on every decision. Then that fiery woman strolled into our lives and all of a sudden I'm no more than a common servant. Now you fall out of the sky and I'm expected to believe you're a goddess because you have sickly complexion and abnormal powers? For all I know your just using some kind of sorcery or illusion. Now I'm no more than a bug to the queen. I will not tolerate it for long. Enjoy your position of power, because it won't last."

The guard returned with an armful of leather. "I'll be waiting outside." She grunted. The guard seemed to hold back a chill when Bana turned on a heel and left. Shego looked at the guard who seemed to shrink in fear at her sudden attention.

"I have no idea how to put these on. You mind giving me a hand?" Shego asked. The guard stiffened and nodded. She hastily helped Shego out of her robes and into the uniform. When the guard tightened Shego's boots she looked down at the uniform and held back a groan.

"How do I look?" She asked the guard when she stood to fasten her sword at her hip. The guard stiffened again and Shego rolled her eyes. She placed a calm hand on the woman's shoulder. "I'm not going to bite or anything. Not unless you have it coming so calm down." The woman seemed to loosen up and sighed.

"I thought you would be like the Captain. She is a very angry woman. You look fine…just like any other high ranking officer in the palace." The woman said with a smile.

"It's been a while since I wore a skirt this short." Shego commented as she watched the guard loosely fasten the sword to her hip.

"It makes running much easier. The top protects your heart and lungs, but it's still easy to breathe. It's the general's design; every guard has this design in their uniform." The woman said proudly.

"So what makes the high ranking stand out from the rest?" Shego asked.

The woman pulled Shego's sword out of its sheath to show her the silver inlaid on the hilt. "See the crescent moon and the star on the hilt? Only the high ranking soldiers and guards have this symbol on their sword. It's the queen's personal crest." She sheathed the sword and smiled. Shego nodded in understanding and allowed the woman to finish her work.

"So what's your name?" Shego asked when the woman stepped back to look her over.

"Ariel."

Shego nodded and patted the woman on the shoulder. "Well you been good company Ariel, maybe I'll see you in the future."

The woman chuckled and nodded. Shego walked out of the barracks and found a fuming Bana leaning against the wall. She pushed off and led Shego back to her room.

888

Night came and the streets were filled with woman. Soldiers strolled among the civilians with ease. Some stood and conversed in groups while young girls looked up at them admiringly asking numerous questions. The queen strolled through the crowd with Kim and Shego on either side of her. Woman would bow respectfully and drift out of their way to make a path; merchants smiled and greeted the queen whenever she would approach their stand.

"It shows trust and respect to walk amongst the citizens. They appreciate the fact their queen and come down and celebrate with them." The queen said to Shego as they made their way to the stage that had been built in the center of the town that surrounded the palace. They ascended the steps and stood by as the queen began to address her subjects. She raised a hand and the roar of the crowd died down.

"It is wonderful to see all of you so happy during this celebration! I am deeply honored to celebrate along with you all; we have achieved so much over this past year! I am happy to report that the oracle has foretold of a prosperous year!" The crowd erupted in a fit of cheers. The queen raised her hand again. "But as we all know it is always darkest before the dawn. The oracle has also foretold of turmoil and grief for us all. I advise you all to stay vigilant and remain strong during those hard times. We will see this through and live to see a bright new year!" The crowd exploded into cheers and celebration as the queen walked off stage.

"Why did you tell them that?" Shego asked her as they made their way through the crowd.

"They have a right to know the whole truth. I will not be made a liar so they can have a good celebration. A good queen will allow the truth to be told, no matter how bitter the truth is."

Shego took this into consideration and said no more. The celebration went on as if no bad news had been given at all. All the women danced, ate and drank without a care in the world. The queen had become a social butterfly talking and dance with everyone she could before the night had taken its toll on her. Kim and Shego celebrated right along with her but, still managed to keep a wary eye on the queen.

"I think we've had enough for tonight." The queen said. Kim and Shego nodded in agreement and followed her back to the palace. Once the queen was safely in her apartments and guards were posted outside, Shego began walking Kim to her room.

"Why did you take this job Shego?" Kim asked the burning question.

"What the personal guard gig?"

"Yes. Why do it?"

"Well, it's not like I'm not used to it. I mean I used to work for Drakken, guarding the queen is actually easier. At least she has something interesting to rant about and she can defend herself if need be. But I took the offer so I could stay close to ya Pumpkin." Shego said with a slight smile.

Kim laughed at the gesture and playfully bumped into her.

"So what's with Bana?" Shego asked suddenly.

Kim smirked and shook her head. "What do you mean? Lately or just in general?"

"General. She walks around like the whole world is out to get her and we're her number one enemies."

"Oh. Well, she's just mad because the queen isn't her puppet anymore." Kim said passively.

"So she's out to get us because the queen thinks for herself?"

"In a way yes. When the queen was elected she was only fourteen."

"Elected?"

"Yeah, the amazons don't really go for the whole monarchy deal. A council elects who will be the next queen. Bana was brought in as a tutor, if you will, to teach her all the politics and battle tactics she needed to know as a queen. In the end Bana saw that as an excuse to rule through her."

Kim stopped at her door and smiled happily. "I'll see you in the morning Princess." Shego said before turning to leave. Kim nodded and watched her retreat down the hall.

"If you want to know the whole story, talk to the queen." Kim stated before backing into her room. Shego made a mental note of this and continued walking.


	9. The messanger

**Chapter 9: The messenger**

The day after the celebration the queen sat on her throne, rubbing her forehead and cursing her hangover from the festivities of the final night of the celebration. Kim and Shego loomed around the throne still exhausted from the night before. Just then a soldier burst into the throne room, Kim and Shego jumped to attention preparing to draw their swords.

"Majesty! An intruder as been caught in the town!" She gasped as she bent over to catch her breath. Kim and Shego relaxed. The queen winced at the commotion.

"Why does this need my attention?" She asked wirily.

"Majesty, it's a man. He claims to be a messenger!" The soldier said hastily.

"So get his message and send him on his way." The queen said in a harsh tone.

"Majesty, he claims the message is to be presented to you only."

The queen growled and finally gave in. "Fine, drag his sorry hide in here."

Kim and Shego eyed each other warily before preparing for the messenger. Moments later two guards roughly pushed and prodded a tall slim man into the room and pushed him to his knees before the queen.

"Why have you breeched our walls?" The queen demanded in a fierce tone. The man flinched and then straightened his demeanor.

"I suppose you are the queen of this tribe of delicate women?" The man replied with a cocky grin.

Every woman in the throne room growled and sneered at that his lack of respect. The queen only narrowed her sight on the man. "You would do well to hold such insults amongst a room of warriors." At this the guards holding him in place rested their hands on their swords.

The man gulped and reached into his bag. "I bring a message from my king; he has traveled far from Greece and graciously offers you a place in his ever growing kingdom. You will be richer than ever imagined, your power will see no end and your…domain will be feared throughout the known world. That is, if, you pledge your allegiance and troops when needed in times of war." He pulled out a scroll and stood to approach her. Kim jumped from her position with unseen speed, sword drawn to the man's throat.

"I'll take that." She said smoothly. She took the scroll from his hand and backed away toward the queen. The man had a scared and blissful stare on his face as he watched Kim hand over the scroll and return to her position.

The queen read the scroll then motioned for Shego to approach. She handed her the scroll and whispered something in her ear. Shego nodded and stood next to the queen, a wide grin pressed on her face.

"I'd like to start off by saying, how dare you. You come into my territory, my town, and my palace with this? You promise riches? We have all the riches we need. You promise unending power? I have no desire to become a greedy sow like all men when they are given power. And as for my nation being feared throughout the known world? We are a peaceful people and have no need to be known to the world, it ruins the element of surprise. But I urge you to give your king a message."

As if on cue Shego crumpled the scroll in her hand and ignited the paper. All that was left of this action was a pile of ashes; she strolled over to the man and placed them in his hand. The man looked terrified and insulted at this action.

"You…you dare refuse the king's gracious offer?" He demanded.

"No." The queen barked. "I refuse to be the king's pawn. If he had given me a fair offer I would have considered it but that was an abomination. I will not have my people chained to the rule of a man while they are raped of everything they love."

The man glared at her. "I shall take your message to my king." He forced through gritted teeth. The queen nodded to the guards.

"That is fine, but the penalty for any man to enter my domain without invitation is severe. I hope you can find your king blind." With that the man was dragged from the throne room, he struggle to free himself but could not break the guard's strong hold.

Kim turned to the queen with an air of urgency about her. "You know this could be an act of war."

The queen nodded. "I know. But it would have been an act of submission to take that ridiculous offer."

Her tone was final. She stood from her throne and motioned a guard over. "Find Bana and tell her I need her immediately. We have a serious situation on our hands." The guard nodded and ran off. She turned to Kim and Shego. "I'm going to need you two as well."

888

The queen sat at a huge marble table with Kim and Shego on either side of her. Bana stormed in and took a seat at the other end. The queen let out a heavy sigh and looked around the table. "I need you three to quickly and discreetly take a massage to our sister tribes. Bana you will go to the East, Shego you will go to the west and Kim, I want you to go to the Gargareans. Each of you are to take the message directly to the leader of each tribe, no one else is to see that message." Everyone nodded in understanding. "Now saddle your horses and pack supplies you have a long journey ahead of you."

All three women stood, Kim and Bana left the room. Shego eyed the queen for a moment. "I gotta ask you something." Shego said suddenly. The queen nodded. "I just want to know. What is the story with you and Bana."

"That's an odd question to ask in this time." The queen remarked. Shego shrugged her shoulders. "Bana has been in her position since the queen before me. When she died I was chosen by the council, I was only twelve at the time. I'm eighteen now."

"Why did they choose you?" Shego cut in.

"The queen before me was my mother; I was always at her side. She showed me everything I needed to know about being a just and fair ruler. The people loved her with all their hearts, when she died the council saw fit that I step in. They chose Bana to tutor me in the position until I came of age. She was like my best friend…" She seemed to trail off from there. Shego was going to push her to go on but the queen stood from her chair. "Now is not the time for stories, go and ready yourself. You have a long distance to travel in a short amount of time."

Shego reluctantly stood and left the room. She made a note to find out the rest of the story when she had the time. When she entered the hall she was greeted by a familiar presence. Ariel leaned against the wall quietly examining her dagger, when Shego passed by she pushed off and fell into stride with Shego's steps.

"Well we meet again." Shego said as they walked.

"The general instructed me to show you your horse." Ariel replied in a cheerful tone. Shego gave no reaction to the woman's cheerful tone. "I took the liberty of saddling him, and packing fresh supplies of food and water for you."

Shego stopped dead in her tracks. "What is it you want in return for that?" In her opinion no one ever did anything just out of the goodness of their own heart, unless that someone was Kim Possible. Ariel only stared at her innocently.

"I'll collect my payment when you return. Now this way, from the looks of things you have to leave in a hurry."

888

Shego was lead to the stables near the back of the palace. She wasn't surprised to see Kim mounted atop large horse. Shego found herself face to face with her horse, a huge grey horse that seemed to tower over her.

When she was settled in the saddle Ariel gave her farewells and left the stable. Bana strolled in and handed the women each a sealed scroll before mounting her horse and galloping away without a word.

"I'll lead you as far as I can; from there you'll have to follow my directions." Kim said before taking off. Shego rode fast behind her.


	10. One step closer

**Chapter 10: One step closer**

After an hour of riding, Kim and Shego found themselves at a cross road. Kim pointed in one direction. "You want to go down this road, until you reach the edge of the forest, from there turn west and go through the forest road until you find the town. It shouldn't take you more than a day or two. Watch out for robbers, they like to hide in the trees."

Shego scoffed. "I'd like to meet the unlucky bastard to hold me up." Both laughed at this.

"I'll see you in a week." Kim said as she clicked her tongue and galloped off in the opposite direction. Shego watched her for a moment before speeding off toward the forest.

888

Shego had been riding for what seemed like hours before Shego found herself staring up at the massive trees of the forest. She stopped just short of another fork in the road. She found herself lost, she had no way of knowing which way was west. She shrugged and turned her horse down a path and began her gallop again.

It had been an hour before something caught her attention. It sounded as though something were moving in the trees. She did not slow her pace thinking of the robbers Kim had told her about. There was another rustle in the trees and then pain shot through her shoulder. She fell from her horse and watched the animal halt and rear up. Shego couched and looked up at the feathered end of a long arrow. The deep sounds of rustling and laughter filled the air around her.

"I think we got a live one." A deep voice announced. A man leaned over her examining her as she lay in the dirt growing angrier by the second.

"She's a real pretty one, should catch a fine reward for her." Another voice said.

"Aye, why don't we examine this one a little farther? Just to be sure she's worth the arrow." She felt a hand slip up her skirt. She growled and kicked her assailant away. Enough was enough; she sat up right and leapt to her feet. Five large men surrounded her while the sixth scrabbled to his feet; he wiped the blood from his mouth and staggered around before falling to the ground again. She snapped the end of the arrow and threw the remains aside.

"Look alive, we got us a fighter."

Shego smirked at the statement and drew her sword. One man gave a hearty laugh. "Don't hurt yourself now." He jeered.

"Oh I won't." Shego replied throwing the sword to the ground. "I just wanted to make sure I didn't lose my sword while I kick your asses." Before the men could react Shego went into a furry of kicks and punches. One and after another fell, finally she was faced with the last man, who cowered in front of a tree. She grinned widely as he struggled to aim an arrow at her chest. She began to stroll toward him; in a panic he released the arrow. Shego catch it, inches before reaching her heart, and raised a brow at the arrow. She ignited her hand and watched as the arrow turned to ash. The man gulped and whimpered, a wet yellow stream pooled around his feet.

"Get out of here." Shego said. The man didn't hesitate to run as fast as he could away from her. Shego then bent over and picked up a good size rock. She threw it in the man's direction, a moment later the man fell to the ground. "Still got it." Shego said to herself with a smile. She picked up her sword and mounted her horse taking a moment to admire her handy work; all six men lay on the dirt path unconscious.

It wasn't long before Shego found herself riding blindly on the path. The sun had gone down and the moon gave a dim light through the trees. Suddenly her horse stopped, she found herself facing the dim silhouette of a huge brick wall.

She was in the middle of contemplating climbing over the wall when an urgent feminine voice shouted from up above. "Who stands at our gate at this late hour?" Shego looked up at the shadowy head peering over the wall's edge.

"I have an urgent message for your leader. From the…" She strained to remember the name everyone called the queen. "From Hippolyte." She wasn't sure if that was the right word. The head disappeared from view. She thought she had gotten the wrong word; she must have gotten the wrong place all together. There was a loud creak as a set of double doors opened and inward, a tall woman came into view.

"Come in. Quickly." She urged in a short tempered tone. Shego urged her horse into a quick trot and entered through the doors. She was now in the dimly lit village of Egesta. "Dismount your horse. I will lead you."

Shego leapt down and walked with the woman through the town. Everything was quiet compared to the constant noise of the palace. She was led to a large stone house and told to wait. The woman entered the house, before long Shego was hurried into the house. The door was slammed behind her. The house wasn't lavish, as the palace was, it was a simple three room house. The woman led her to the back room; there wasn't much to get excited about. A bed and dresser sat at one end of the room and a long table with dozens of lit candles. A woman sat, bent over, in a chair at the table. She looked as though she had been woken up and thrown on a pair of pants and a white shirt to prepare for Shego's arrival. It was a definite change from the palace and the town that surrounded it.

"You Antiope?" Shego asked gruffly.

The woman sat upright and pushed back her long hair. A few rebellious curls fell back to frame her face. "Yes." She replied. Her sight drifted slightly. "You have an arrow in your shoulder." She said wirily. Shego looked down to see the broken arrow still jutting out of her shoulder. She pulled the arrow from her shoulder without a second thought and it to the ground. The woman stared expressionless at Shego's act; the woman who led Shego to the house looked alarmed at the action.

"Didn't that hurt?" The woman in the chair asked. Shego shrugged. She had gotten worse from Kim when she had a head cold, this was nothing. "Well, before we do anything else I'm going to need proof you really are a messenger for the queen." The woman said. The only thing Shego could think of was on the hilt of her sword. Before anyone could react she drew her sword and started toward the table. The woman who led her in leapt forward to stop her but was quickly thrown to the floor. Shego set the sword on the table in front of the woman.

"There's your proof." Shego said. She eyed the woman on the floor. The woman in the chair didn't even flinch. She examined the symbol on the hilt and leaned back in her chair.

"Well this must be important if Hippolyte is sending you. Least she didn't send that arrogant sow of a woman Bana." The woman said. Shego sheathed her sword and her the scroll. The woman read the message, her expression never changed throughout the entire time. She set the message down on the table and stood. "I suppose you want to leave now." She said stretching.

"The sooner I get back the better." Shego saw feeling her shoulder to be sure the wound had healed. "So I expect you to be ready quickly." The woman raised a brow.

"And I expect not to be rushed by the queen's hired hand." The woman replied sitting back in her chair. Shego snarled in anger, she ignited her hands. The woman stared unblinkingly at the green glow of the plasma.

"Let's get one thing straight right now. I am not her _hired hand_. I am a missionary for my own damn cause and I'm not about to deal with some spoiled brat of a grown woman who doesn't see how seriously fucked we are. Now Get off your ass and get ready, because I am leaving now. With or without you." She blasted the candles off table. The woman sighed and slowly stood. She approached Shego until they were eye to eye.

"That's a nice trick. Tell me is it that a result of the ring on your finger?" She took Shego's hand and played with the ring. Shego jerked her hand away.

"No, it's all me." Shego turned to leave. "And if you don't want to show up without a limb you'll get your ass in gear." She warned over her shoulder.

The woman watched her leave with a black stare. The tall woman who had lead Shego there stood dumbfounded. "Ready my horse. It looks like I'll be taking an unexpected trip to see my dear sister."


	11. Change in plans

**Chapter 11: Change in plans**

Shego stormed into the throne room, anger and irritation framed her face. The queen seemed to shrink at the sight. Shego towered over her in her throne, a snarl slid over her lips. "Do you have any idea what I've been through with _your_ sister?" She demanded. The trip back to the palace took two days because Antiope refused to go any faster than a slow trot on her horse. She had made a game of annoying Shego as much as possible.

"I wouldn't know what you're talking about Shego." The queen said cautiously. Shrinking as low into her throne as she could to escape the heat Shego was giving off.

"Oh you know. It took two days to get back here because, she didn't want to rush. I had to threaten her just to get her on the horse in the first place." Shego said leaning closer to the queen to make her point.

"Oh if you were in a rush why didn't you say so? I would have urged my horse to a full gallop." A voice called from behind. Shego looked over her shoulder in disgust. Antiope stood in the doorway of the doorway, long curly hair tied back, except for the few stands that never seemed to cooperate. She strolled in with the same blank expression as she had when Shego met her. "Baby sister, it's been far too long."

The queen peered over the arm of her throne and smiled. "I hear you were giving my guard a difficult trip." She said. Shego scoffed at the statement and left the room. She was too tired to deal with the woman now.

Antiope shrugged aside as Shego stormed past. "I'll be seeing you soon enough." She said before turning her attention to the queen. "Don't I get a warm greeting from my dear sister?" She asked folding her arms over her chest.

The queen stood and approached her carefully before hugging her. She flinched when Antiope wrapped her arms around her waist. The hug was short lived as the queen hurried to part from her sister.

"So, when is our fair Melanippe arriving? I have yet to see her." Antiope asked in a devilish tone.

"A few days time. Until then please rest, when she arrives we will have much to discuss." The queen said dismissingly. Aptiope sighed and turned on a heel.

"We can only hope she arrives soon."

888

Shego stomped through the palace, still annoyed after her long trip. She found herself yanked out of her path after she stormed around a corner. Before she could turn her anger on the one foolish enough to disrupt her, she saw a pair of familiar eyes bearing down on her. Ariel pressed a finger to her lips to silence her; she pushed Shego into the shadows and pointed to the hall Shego had been pulled from. Antiope strolled past moments later, Ariel pulled her back into the light and smiled.

"You want to avoid her. I'm sure you've already had your fill of her to last you a lifetime." She commented. "Come. I think I know what will make you feel more at ease."

Ariel led Shego out of the palace to an open training field. Soldiers held a mock battle at one end of the field, at the other end, targets were set up. This side of the field was empty now. They made their way toward the targets; Ariel placed a bow in Shego's hand.

"How are you with a bow and arrow?" She asked as she strung her own bow.

"I'd assume not very good. I never had to archery." Shego said.

Ariel looked at her puzzled. "Well if you are going to be a part of the queen's circle you need to be an expert with most if not all forms of weapons and fighting." She handed Shego an arrow. "Now shoot the target. I want to see how much you know."

Shego shrugged and prepared to fire the arrow. She hoped she wouldn't make a fool of herself as she took aim and pulled the arrow back. She was fully aware of the woman's gaze on her; she knew she was being judged. She released the arrow and much to her dismay missed the target all together. Ariel looked as though she were trying her best to suppress a fit of laughter.

"I'd like to see you do any better." Shego snapped.

Ariel smiled. With lightning speed she fired three arrows at the target. Shego watched with embarrassment as the arrows priced the target in a tight group. She turned to Shego with a wide grin.

"Don't gloat. I told you I wouldn't be any good." Shego snarled. "How the hell is this supposed to help me relax?"

"Well if you can hit the target you'll feel less frustrated and your mind will be clearer." Ariel replied calmly.

Shego growled and hurled a plasma charged blast at the target. It exploded on contact and Shego smiled mercilessly. "Your right, I feel so much better now." Ariel stared in wide eyed shock at what had just happened then turned her attention to Shego.

"That is…very intriguing."

"Who needs arrows when you have an unlimited supply of that?"

Ariel handed Shego another arrow. "It's better to be well rounded then only rely on one weapon."

She went about showing Shego how to shoot, every so often she would make snide comments about her aim or stance and Shego would reply with a witty retort. They went about doing this for hours until the sun began to set.

"Looks like this season is over. Care to join me for dinner? I get bored eating with the same pack of women." Ariel asked as she began putting up the weapons. Shego shrugged in response, she couldn't see any reason not to.

As they made their way to the kitchen Shego felt the ring on her finger begin to warm up. She glanced down and saw it giving off a faint glow, the ruby perched on the top seemed to grow brighter as well. Ariel stopped suddenly and Shego crashed into her.

"What the hell?" Shego barked. Ariel pointed to the group of women rushing down the corridor, something was happening. As they rushed past Shego snatched one woman out of the group and pulled her aside.

"What's going on?"

The woman struggled frantically in Shego's grasp. "The general has returned and she is under attack."

Shego released the woman and chased after the group with Ariel close behind. She easily sprinted past the group and made her way to the Kim riding as fast as she could; a woman sat in front of her on the horse. Far behind her a mass of hooded men chased her, firing arrows and slinging rocks to try and slow her down.

The gates were opened and Kim galloped through. She began shouting commands to the guards at the gates and on the wall. Suddenly the sky went black with arrows coming from the wall, moments later the hooded men fell from their horses. As they tried desperately to retreat they were shot down, within minutes the path leading to the gates was filled with a dark mass of bodies.

"Get the healers, she needs medical attention now!" Kim commanded as Shego pulled the woman slumped against Kim on the saddle. The woman shivered and groaned as Shego cradled in her arms. She could smell the blood seeping through the woman's dress. Her black hair dripped with crimson as Shego passed her to the healers. She turned her attention to Kim who sat dazed on her horse.

"Kimmie?" She whispered. Kim fell to the ground, a broken arrow rested in the small of her back. Shego fell to her side and lifted her off the ground. In all the commotion no one had noticed Kim fall to the dirt, nor could they hear Shego's cries for help. Shego cursed and lifted Kim off the ground.

She rushed into the palace and into Kim's room. She laid her on the bed began washing her hands in the bowl of water on the table. "What are you doing?" Ariel asked. She hadn't noticed Ariel had stayed with her the entire time.

"I'm repaying a debt. Now are you going to help me or not?"

Shego didn't wait for her answer before she began removing Kim's top to get a better look. She cursed again when she saw the arrow was close to Kim's spine. Ariel began wiping the blood away being careful not to move the arrow.

"I need a knife." Shego told her when she finished. Ariel reached down and pulled a knife from her boot. Shego ignited her hand and heated the blade in an attempt to sterilize it, when it cooled she took a deep breath and slipped the knife into Kim's back to slowly work out the arrow. She would wince and hiss whenever the arrow moved too much. After what seemed like an eternity she pulled the arrow out of Kim's back and began the task of cauterizing her wound.

Ariel began to rip strips of the sheets off Kim's bed. When they had finished Kim lay unconscious on the bed unaware of the bandage wrapped around her waist. Shego sat on the edge of the bed and hid her head in her hands. Ariel pulled up a chair and rested a gentle hand on her shoulder.

"You did well." She offered an encouraging tone.

Shego shook her head. "If I did my job in the first place she wouldn't even be here. This is all because of this damn ring." She head up her hand to show the Ruby Lion wrapped around her finger. Ariel shot back and stumbled off out of the chair.

"I…that ring…do you know what that ring is capable of? Do you know what that ring is responsible for?" Ariel stammered.

"Yeah I know; it's what got us here. This is what put me in this damn situation in the first place.

Ariel climbed back onto the chair and cautiously stared at the ring. "That ring can be a blessing or a curse. I can only pray that you never have to make that choice."

Hours past before Kim groaned in pain and made the attempt to open her eyes. She made a weak attempt to sit up but quickly lay back down when pain shot through her back.

"Hey, Kimmie." Shego said wearily.

"I guess I made it in time. Is Melanippe okay?"

Ariel was the first to answer. "She is fine. What happened?"

Kim shook her head and made the attempt to sit up again. "It was an ambush. We were riding through the forest and the next thing I know her horse is ahead of me but she's wasn't on him. I was taken down by one of them and had to fight just to retrieve her and escape. They followed us all the way here. The last thing I remember was calling for the healers." She winced at the pain in her back.

"We had to pull an arrow out of your back. Any closer to your spine and you wouldn't be walking ever again." Shego said in a low tone.

Kim smiled. "From the looks of it we're going to be stuck here for a while Shego. I think a war is going to come from this."

(AN: Okay just want to tell you all thanks for the reviews, you guys are awesome. And before I post the next chapter just want to say this story is going to be my last Kim and Shego fanfic for some. I will however branch out into different characters and shows. Don't worry I will finish the other stories before I go leaping into new ones. So sit back and enjoy the story.)


	12. The art of fair play

**Chapter 12: The art of fair play**

The queen sat at the marble tableas she had days before. Her sisters sat on either side of her. Kim and Bana stood at attention at the other end of the table.

"We don't even know who we're up against." Melanippe proclaimed.

"That's not true. I'm told the men who attacked you bore the same symbol as the messenger who arrived some days ago." Antiope corrected. "We know this _so called king_ is trying to force our allegiance with idle threats such as that attack. We have to find out who this king is and retaliate with full force. He'll learn never to cross the Amazon nation again."

"You are always the one to jump to a fight without thinking. We know nothing about our attackers and you want to go galloping in and fight them. There is no words that can describe how foolish that is." Melanippe debated.

"Oh so you just want to be a submissive little dog while they rape and enslave us all?" Antiope asked in a dangerous tone.

Melanippe squared her shoulders, her eyes darkened and the room suddenly felt cold. "How dare you ask such a question? You of all people should know that each one of us in this room would rather die than allow such a horrible thing to happen to our people."

Antiope returned her sister's glare with an unflinching gaze. "If we do what you suggest then we'll all have to open our vains for the good of our nation. I can't believe you would roll over so easily. You, Hippolyte…me…we were all raised to feel the same passion for our nation. We are all trained warriors, sworn to protect our nation from anyone and anything that may threaten it. If I have to die for that belief then I would rather it be from bravery on the battle field and not cowardice behind the protective walls of my palace. You as a fellow warrior should feel the same, unless we have lost you to the teachings of peace and passivism."

"I cannot believe this. You assume that because I refuse to risk the lives of not only the soldiers but innocent citizens, that I am a coward? This coming from the one who hides in her forest, you call me a coward? That certainly is the pot calling the kettle black."

"Enough!" The queen declared. Everyone jerked at her sudden outburst. She slammed her firsts on the table making the cups vibrate. "I have had enough of this useless bickering. We are not children anymore! We are grown women thrust into a dilemma neither of us can deal with alone. We have to come together as one nation or parish one by one!" She looked at both her sisters. Antiope stared at her with her usual unemotional gaze; Melanippe gave her a stony glare. "You both make a fair point. On one hand we cannot let this insult to our nation go unpunished." Antiope nodded in agreement. "However we cannot go in blindly, we have no idea who this king is, what is numbers are or who his allies are. We need the information before we can strike with our full force. As queen of this nation I will not stand for threats or insults but, I will not be so foolish as to attack without knowing my target."

Both Antiope and Melanippe stared at the queen with silent awe. She was right, now they turned to one another. "Our dear babe is right sister." Melanippe said with hesitant pride.

"Yes, I suppose that she has grown well into her role as queen. But how will we gain our information? All we have is a symbol." Antiope said with a shrug.

Kim stepped forward. "Permission to speak majesty?" The queen nodded. "I've seen this symbol once before. Long before I came here, if I'm right the symbol belongs to no king but a man who calms kingship. I don't recall his real name but they call him Dion."

The queen pursed her lips. "Do you know anything else about him?"

Kim gulped. "No. I only know the symbol."

The queen eyed her suspiciously for a moment then nodded. "Every well, if you think of anything else about this man inform me immediately."

Kim nodded and backed out of the room. Bana stepped forward now with a determined gaze. "Majesty?" The queen nodded. "I…I'd be willing to go on a mission for information of this…Dion. That is, if you wish it done."

The queen sighed. "I'll have to think on your offer. Right now, it is late and we will get nothing resolved without a goodnight's rest." She stood from the table. Her sisters followed suit and walked out of the room. Bana escorted Antiope to her apartments and Kim escorted Melanippe to hers. The queen was left alone for a moment until Shego rounded the corner. "Shego." The queen called.

Shego stopped suddenly in her path and raised a brow. "You never use my name." Shego said as she slowly made her way to the queen.

"Will you walk with me?" The queen asked ignoring Shego's statement. Shego shrugged in response and they began to walk toward the queen's apartments. "What do you know of the symbol we found on the men?"

"Oh I'm no good with history, you'd have to ask Kimmie."

"Yes, she only said the symbol belongs to a self proclaimed king who goes by the name of Dion."

"She didn't have anything else to say on that?"

"No."

"Then she's either gotten very good at lying or she hit her head at some point."

"Why do you say that?"

"Because I know that name. I read it in a book about this ring." Shego raised her hand to show the Ruby Lion on her finger. "I'm sure you know the story behind this ring."

The queen gave her a puzzled look. "The only thing I know about the Ruby Lion is that it was forged by the Aries. How it came to the hands of mortals I know not, and how you can handle the ring without your instantaneous demise amazes me and terrifies me. However, if you know something I don't about that ring or this man I do wish you would share this with me."

Shego blinked. How could they not know about the story? "I'm sure Kimmie wants to speak with me about this before I tell you any further." Shego said after a long silence.

The queen frowned deeply. "I really don't approve of either of you keeping things from me."

"Look, I'm sure Kimmie has a good reason for keeping her secrets. Just let me talk to her, when we have all our facts straight we'll come to you."

They stopped at the queen's door. She sighed and rubbed her temples. "You two are the only ones who know my nation's future, and neither of you will tell me anymore than a peek of that. It's like speaking with the oracle." With that she turned on a heel and slipped into her room. Shego stood there for a moment, entranced by the situation at hand. Then she ran toward Kim's room, she needed to find out what was going on.

The turned a corner and slammed into the very girl she was looking for. She struggled to her feet and began, literally, dragging Kim down the hall. Kim struggled to get to her feet but failed as Shego picked up her pace. Kim was thrown into her bed before she had the chance to climb to her feet. Shego closed the door behind her and stormed over to Kim.

"What the hell are you doing?" Shego demanded. She pinned Kim to the bed to keep her from escaping.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Kim said struggling under Shego's grasp.

"Kim, don't make me hurt you." Her tone was serious, Kim suddenly stopped struggling.

"I don't know what you're talking about Shego." Kim said. Shego clenched her jaw. Kim had gotten good at lying; Shego stared down at Kim with a cold stare. She didn't want to do this.

"Kimmie, I don't want to do this." Shego said as she positioned herself over Kim. One keen was placed gingerly on Kim's chest. "You can either tell me what you're hiding or I can start torturing you. I would much rather do this the easy way Kim."

Kim began to breathe heavily as her eyes widened. "I can't tell you what I don't know Shego."

Shego gave her a pained look and began to heat up her hands. She could feel Kim's breathing become labored, she kept herself from applying too much heat so Kim wouldn't be burned. Kim gritted her teeth and stared up at Shego with a stony silence. "Kimmie please." Kim remained silent. Shego could smell the flesh on Kim's wrists start to burn; her eyes began to well up with tears. "Kimmie." She whispered.

Kim remained silent for a long moment before murmuring an inaudible sentence. Shego immediately cooled her hands. "What did you say?"

Kim pursed her lips and looked away. "I said they're doomed. Is that what you want to know? The entire nation is doomed and if we don't get the hell out of her we'll be dead along with the rest of them."

Shego shook her head and slipped off of Kim to get the bowl of water and the cloth on the table. "I shouldn't have had to burn you just to get that out of you." Shego asked as she soaked the cloth in the water.

"Well I don't want to abandon them. They're about to go to war and we just pack up and leave? That's disgraceful and you know it."

Shego couldn't help but agree, neither of them were the type to run from a fight. She wrapped the cloth around Kim's wrist and bit her lip as the hiss of pain from the red head. "So how do you know they're doomed?"

"Because this is how the Ruby Lion's story came to be. Dion was the name of Aries' pet lion but the story of the lion didn't come about until a hundred years after the Amazon's fell. Dion, the man, was a self proclaimed king who challenged every nation he could. History tells that he rode all over attacking nations if they didn't submit to him. He is the one who will destroy the Amazons, they'll be nothing but a myth by the time he's done with them."

"So what? We're just going to run scared because history claims this jerk killed them off? Kimmie that is the biggest load I've ever heard and last I checked history is written by the victorious."

"Exactly, we get our asses kicked."

"No, I think he gets his ass handed to him. I say we stay and fight this guy kick his ass and write history the way it's supposed to be written. I'm not about to deal with the embarrassment of getting my ass kicked by some wanna be king. That is just an insult all together if you ask me."

"Do you have any idea how many men he attacked the Amazons with?"

"What like two hundred?"

"Try three thousand. We'd be outnumbered by two thousand soldiers."

"Well then, we'll just have to have our wits about us then won't we?" Shego said as she wrapped Kim's wrists.

"How do you purpose we do that?"

Shego laughed and shook her head. "It's the art of fair play Kimmie. If you're out numbered then you even the score. In this case, instead of using force why not just use the home field advantage?"


	13. Target practice

**Chapter 13: Target practice**

Shego didn't bother to knock as she and Kim burst into the queen's room. The queen shot upright from her bed, dagger in hand, with a panicked expression. She sighed a great breath of relief when she saw Kim and Shego through the din of the room.

"Do you have any idea how much that frightens me?" The queen demanded.

"Apologies all around but this couldn't wait. The shit is about to hit the fan and we're the only ones who can save you from the mess. Now throw on your big girl panties and meet us on the balcony." Shego said in a hurried tone. The queen stared at her with a confused sneer.

"She means we have information about Dion that will very well save the nation. You should get dressed and meet us outside for a private conversation." Kim translated.

"That's what I just said." Shego proclaimed as she made her way outside.

"You need to remember no one can understand the way we talk in this time." Kim said as she followed suit.

The queen emerged from her room onto the balcony; she didn't seem bothered by the chill wind blowing outside. "Why have you woken me at such an ungodly hour?" The queen hissed.

"You wanted to know who you're up against so we're going to tell you." Shego spat back. She seemed to be very on edge after the long talk she had with Kim moments earlier. "Now listen carefully, in the future you all are thought to be a myth. There is some history that says Dion is the one who killed you all off."

The queen went pale; she rested her hand over her heart and leaned against the stone railing. Kim shot Shego an annoyed glare. "But there is hope." She reassured. "We have a plan that could very well save you all but you have to trust us." The queen looked as though she were going to be sick.

"Both of us combined have knowledge of defensive weapons and tactics that could give us the advantage." Shego added.

The queen breathed a heavy sigh and straightened her posture. "Whatever it takes to save my nation, I will not be made a myth by any man." She said fiercely. She gave one final nod to the women and left for her room. Kim and Shego eyed each other with playful grins.

888

Shego stood alone in the training field at dawn the next morning. She strung another arrow and pulled back. She thought of every defense that would be to their advantage. She released the arrow, bull's eye, she strung another arrow. She thought of what weapons would work to their advantage, the arrow whizzed through the air, bull's eye.

"You wanted to see me." Ariel said from behind her.

"Yeah, I wanted to talk to you about something." Shego said stinging another arrow.

"What would that be?" Ariel asked with a hint of hope in her voice.

Shego released the arrow. "I don't think it's much of a secret that we're about to go to war." Shego said stinging the next arrow.

"There is word spreading among the people. The warriors are excited at the thought. You need to part your feet more."

"Good. I need to know who our best archers are." She absently did as Ariel instructed.

"We have a special troop for that, for which I am commander. Move your hand lower, it's throwing off your aim."

Shego did as she was told and fired the arrow, defying all odds the arrow split the previous arrow. Shego lowered her bow with a prideful smile. "Is your troop any good?"

Ariel smiled. "Shall I give you a demonstration?"

888

A half hour later Shego and Ariel stood before a line of stone faced women, each with a tattoo of the queen's symbol on their arm on their left arm. Shego looked to Ariel. "Where is your tattoo?" She asked mockingly.

"If you want the answer to that you'll have to find it for yourself." Ariel said in a flirtatious tone. Shego tried to hold back a chuckle as Ariel turned to the troop of women.

"Firing position." She commanded. The women stung their arrows in unison. It was a fast and fluid motion.

"On my mark." The women pulled back their arrows.

"Fire." A stream of arrow through the air, each one hitting its target perfectly.

Shego nodded. "Well now that I know they can follow direction. How is their aim?"

Ariel pointed to a servant walking toward then with a basket in her arms. "I knew you would ask that." The servant set the basket down and stepped off to the side. Shego now saw the basket was full of fruit. "I trust each of these women with my life." She pointed to the troop. "Three hundred paces." The women turned on a heel and trotted a long distance to the other side of the field.

"You've lost your mind haven't you?" Shego asked as she began to distance herself. Ariel grabbed her hand and pulled her back.

"No. I trust these women will hit their mark." She picked up a piece of fruit. "I'll make a wager with you. If one of these women miss the fruit in my hand, I shall be your handmaiden for a fortnight."

Shego raised a brow. She couldn't believe how much fun she was going to have tormenting the girl. She smiled and held out her hand. "Okay, you have a deal." They shook hands, both women with a wide smile. Ariel raised her hand in the air and let it fall. An arrow whizzed through the air, splitting the fruit in half before landing in the ground a few yards behind them.

Ariel repeated her actions until one woman was left to fire an arrow. Ariel winked at Shego and let her hand fall. The arrow sped through the air, with swift motion Shego caught the arrow inches before it split the fruit. "Looks like I've got myself a new handmaiden."

Ariel's jaw dropped. "That is a false win!" She proclaimed.

"You never said I couldn't stop the arrow." Shego said tossing the arrow aside. "Looks like she missed." She took the fruit from Ariel's hand and bit into it victoriously.

Ariel frowned for a moment before sighing. "What is your first whim?" She asked with a pained smile.

Shego took another bit and closed her eyes, savoring the sweet taste. "Mmmm. The sweet taste of victory. Tell your troop to keep in practice, we're going to need them. And take a bit of this, it's delicious." She pressed the fruit to the girl's lips and watched her hesitation as she bit into the fruit. "Oh this is so much better than I thought it would be."

Ariel rolled her eyes in annoyance as she chewed.


	14. The past, the present and future

**Chapter 14: The past, the present and future**

Two days passed after the bet. Shego sat in her room brooding over her boredom. Ariel leaned against the wall quietly sharpening her knife. "So if you're not a goddess, then what are you?" Ariel asked. She had been asking Shego questions for the past few minutes to stave off her own boredom.

"If you really must know, I'm human. My brothers and I were just unlucky enough to be hit by a comet when we were kids. It gave us all different powers." Shego explained. She didn't care what the girl knew about her.

"So the gods saw fit to bless you with such powers?" Ariel asked in awe.

"It more of a curse than, a blessing. The powers themselves are nice but I wouldn't mind having a normal skin color for once."

"Are you and the general from the same land? You two seem very close."

"Yeah, she and I were…partners in trade before she and I were separated after we found the ring."

"Partners in trade? What was your trade?"

Shego thought for a long moment before she thought of her answer. "You wouldn't want to know what she and I did before we came here. It's not exactly something to advertise around here."

Ariel suddenly paused. The sharpening stone rested on the blade. "You were thieves?" She stated before returning to her task.

"Well, not exactly."

"Don't lie; it's very unbecoming of a mistress." She examined her work and slid the knife back into its place in her boot. "But why theft? Could either of you not afford bread for your table?"

"No. We're very wealthy in our time, it's just…it's a very long and complicated explanation."

"Oh yes and we have so much to do today, you'll never have the time to finish."

Shego pursed her lips and clicked her tongue; the girl had picked up her sarcasm already. "We just found that life was more enjoyable when we didn't have to save the day all the time."

Ariel frowned. "What's wrong with being a hero? In our nation heroes are treated with the highest respect, they are showered with gifts and praise."

"Being a hero is nice at first. But in the end you never really get much time to yourself, everyone turns to you when there is trouble. And the people become fickle. One day you are the greatest thing that could ever happen to them and, the next, you're the one to blame for not coming to everyone's rescue at once. It's hard to be a hero; it's hard to be what everyone wants you to be." Shego was silent for a moment before continuing. "After a while it's just easier to be the villain than the hero."

Ariel nodded in understanding. "I suppose the task can be too much for even the strongest to bear."

Shego blinked for a moment then decided to ask an odd question. "How old are you anyway?"

"I'm seventeen." She answered proudly.

Shego smiled and shook her head. "Little too wise to be a seventeen year old."

Ariel shrugged. "In the Amazon nation warriors must gain wisdom quickly, else they parish."

"That's a little extreme isn't it?"

The girl stared at her as if trying to understand how she could say such a thing.

"Well your only seventeen, shouldn't you be doing something else beside fighting in wars and commanding troops?"

"In the Amazon nation there are two types of women, the citizens and the soldiers. When a girl is of age seven she is plucked from her mother's arms and tested in strength, intelligence and fighting skill. Those who pass the test are then trained to be warriors for the nation. It is considered a great honor to be chosen. So in answer to your question, no."

"Age seven? Is that a little young to devote your life to fighting?"

Before Ariel could answer there was a knock at the door. "Go away." Shego called. Kim stepped into the room. "That's not really an option now get up, the queen wants us with her when she greets the new messenger."

Shego stood and made her way out of the room; Ariel went to follow but was met by a quick denial from Shego. She frowned slightly and waited in Shego's room.

"Certainly are hanging around that girl a lot." Kim noted as they neared the throne room.

"She lost a bet and now she's my handmaiden for the time being." Shego replied.

"How did you manage to get the captain of the finest archery squad in the nation to fall into that position?" Kim asked as they stood before the double doors.

"Same way we get everything Kimmie." Shego said with a wide grin as she pushed open the doors and took her usual place at the queen's side.

"Where have you been?" The queen hissed under her breath.

"Going over some important matters." Shego said half heartedly.

The queen pursed her lips and signaled to let the messenger in. A small woman came quietly into the room. She was escorted by two tall soldiers, the woman timidly reached into her bag and pulled out a scroll.

"King Dion sends a message." She said in a shaky tone as she broke the seal and unraveled the message. "Your savage act on my messenger is clear. I have tried to be civil and now blood must be spilled for your insult. Your nation will know true suffering; we shall be upon your nation within a few days time. You shall have this time to gravel for my mercy." The woman rolled the scroll and placed it back in her bag with trembling hands.

The queen eyed the woman careful then smiled. "Are you afraid of us?" The woman gulped but said nothing. The queen chuckled lightly and shook her head. "You have nothing to fear from us, we treat all women as our own here. Please stay for a meal and rest, tomorrow I will send you back with my reply."

The woman seemed surprised at this. The soldiers escorted her out and the queen looked to Shego. "I pray you have our defenses ready."

"This guy won't know what hit him." Shego assured.


	15. Prepare

**Chapter 15: Prepare**

Shego and Ariel sat on their horses at the edge of the forest. Behind them was the path to the palace, they looked out over the plains waiting for the attack. They had dressed in earth tone pants and shirts and painted their faces to hide amongst the trees if the attackers did arrive. They hadn't been waiting more than a few days before Shego nudged Ariel.

"Look." She said pointing out into the distance. Ahead of them was a thin line of the horizon.

"Do you think that's our reinforcements?" Ariel asked.

"I don't know. But I'm not waiting around to find out. Let's go."

They turned their horses and galloped down the path toward the palace. They leapt off their horses half way to the palace and allowed them to keep running toward the palace. They vanished into the trees and picked up their bows. Hidden amongst the trees and underbrush were the troop of archers; each one ready to draw her arrow and ambush their enemies.

"Look alive." Shego whispered as she ducked behind a tree. Ariel pulled on a cloak of leaves and moss; she lay down next to Shego. Together they waited, minutes turned to hours, and the sun began to set. Shego looked down at Ariel. "How well in their sight at night?" She asked wryly. Their plan would be useless if no one could see what they were doing.

Ariel looked up at her with confidence. "Their sight is as good as any hawk in the darkest of night. You need not worry." Shego nodded and turned her attention back to the path. Hours later the thud of horse hooves echoed in the air. Every woman drew their arrow, moments later the group came into view.

Their horses were forced to a slow trot on the narrow path. Shego raised her hand to stop the women from firing while she waited for a flag or symbol that would identify they them. Her eyes had already adjusted to the dark of the forest; she saw the symbol on one rider's shield. She quickly drew back her arrow and took aim. She released her arrow and watched the rider fall to the dirt with a gurgled moan. Suddenly Ariel stood and fired her arrow, another rider fell. Every woman fired upon the riders, each rider fell to the dirt; horses became frightened rearing up and nearly throwing riders from their saddles.

"Ambush!" One man yelled. They made for a gallop down the path; a shower of arrows hit those who were too slow to escape. Shego climbed the tree she hid behind until she was perched at the top. She could see the riders racing toward the palace, she ignited it with her hand. "I hope this works." She said to herself. She threw a ball of plasma high into the air, it soared into the sky and down toward the path, moments later a horn was sounded. In the distance she could see the palace suddenly come alive. Torches were lit, alarms were raised the men continued toward the palace. Archers fired a sea of arrows at them.

Ariel climbs up a nearby tree and takes aim at the men racing toward the palace. Together the troop and the palace defeated the men leaving dozens of men dead on the path.

"We can't keep this up for long." Shego warned.

Ariel nodded in agreement. "The reinforcements should be here soon. But for now we need to rid our path of these men."

They climbed down from their perches and gathered the bodies. No woman complained about task, though some complained about the small attack their skill had been wasted on. Shego would only distance herself from them and continue on with her work. When dawn came the woman had finished their task the women gathered around Shego.

"Okay, I need a scout to watch for our reinforcements. They should be here within the hour and I want to make sure we don't have a false alarm." One woman nodded wordlessly and ran down the path. "The rest of you, I want you all ready for another attack. We're not going to let them get to the palace without having to deal with us."

888

Hours crept by slowly; Shego sat against a tree along the path. The other women rested in the forest around her. She kept a wary eye on the path waiting for the scout to return. She was beginning to feel the weight of her exhaustion on her shoulders.

"You can sleep you know." Ariel said slumping down next to her.

"Sleep is not much of an option right now. I hate to be caught off guard." Shego replied through heavy lidded eyes.

Ariel shook her head. "You and the general are so much alike. Tell me; is everyone from your world like you two?"

"You're lucky I don't beat you for stepping over your bounds as a handmaiden." Shego warned half heartedly.

"I get the feeling you couldn't raise a hand to me if you tried." The girl replied snuggling against Shego to make her point.

"What makes you think that?" Shego retaliated. Even though she knew the girl had a point. She wouldn't dare hurt the girl; she was too much like Kim. So upbeat and over achieving she was a young Kim Possible. Although she used to fight with Kim all the time. Now the very thought was impossible to comprehend, she had grown soft over the years.

Ariel didn't have time to answer her question. The thunder of horse hooves threw them from their resting place. Shego readied her bow as Ariel searched for her cloak. The forest was suddenly alive but quickly died after the troop was settled and waiting. Shego couldn't help but worry about the scout she had sent out. Had something happened? What she captured and now the attackers were on their way? Had she been killed or did these new intruders found a way past her?

The thunder of hooves came closer, Shego drew back her arrow. She hands trembled from exhaustion; she could barely keep her eyes open. The thunder of hooves settled as the riders came even closer.

The lead rider came to a halt, Shego could barely tell if they were friend or foe. Ariel readied her signal to fire. The rider slipped off their hood. Shego saw Bana seated a top her horse, Ariel lowered her hand slowly.

Shego sighed with relief as she lowered her bow. Ariel followed her out of hiding onto the path. "What took you so damn long?" Shego demanded.

"It's not an easy task to build an army. They are a day's march behind us." Bana snorted. Shego looked at the dozen guards she had with her.

She rolled her eyes. "Then you get to take the next watch."

Bana looked down at her with disgust.

"We've been hiding out here for a week it won't kill you to wait a day." Shego snarled.

Ariel gave a wave of her hand, the troop of archers marched out from among the trees. Without another word they marched down the path toward the palace. Bana growled under her breath and barked an order at her guards. They dismounted and began to set up camp for the night. Shego could feel the cold glare on her as she walked away, she couldn't help but notice the grim smirk on Ariel's lips, she wasn't the only one who was amused by ruining Bana's day.


	16. Unwanted guests

**Chapter 16: Unwelcome guests**

Shego opened her eyes; she was surrounded by the familiar black and green sheets of her bed. She breathed in the smell of her room and lifted her head. This wasn't the room she fell asleep in; this wasn't even the time she fell asleep in.

She sat up and scratched her head, the clock on the table read 2:15. Nothing seemed right at all. Was she just having another weird dream? A sudden draft caught her attention; she looked down and rolled her eyes. "Great, just great I'm confused and naked." She slipped out of bed and began searching her house.

The house was empty. "Where the hell is Kim?" She asked herself.

"I think the real question is: why are you naked?" Kim's voice asked from the front door. Kim stood in the doorway with a bag of groceries. "I did laundry yesterday, so you don't have a very good excuse for naked in the middle of the afternoon do you?" She asked as she shut the door.

"I have no idea what's going on. Last night I was getting ready for war in the Amazon nation and now I'm naked in my house, Kimmie what happened?"

Kim blinked for a moment. "Amazon nation? Are you still drunk from night?" She replied as she walked by. Shego followed her to the kitchen.

"I'm not drunk Kimmie. I'm telling you; just last night you and I were fighting a war for the Amazons. There was this freaky ring, and I was killing people in the forest."

Kim smiled as she set the bags on the counter; she shook her head as she walked past. "I think you just had another dream Shego." She called over her shoulder.

Shego stood dumbfounded. Could all that have been a dream? She looked down to see her hand was bare. It very well could have been a long dream. Kim appeared in front of her with some clothes. "It was just a dream. Now get these one, you can't be walking around naked when the guests arrive." She planted a small kiss on Shego's cheek.

"Guests? What guests?"

"Oh just _wake up._"

"What?"

"_Wake up._"

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Shego awoke to the sight of Kim's face looming over her. Shego could only stare up at her with wide eyed surprise. Kim smiled down at her for a moment.

"I thought you would never wake up." Kim stated as she rung out a wet cloth.

"Where am I?" Shego questioned as Kim cleaned the paint off Shego's face.

"Well last I checked you're in the palace. Must have been some dream you were having." She soaked the cloth again and rung it out. "I've never seen you smile in your sleep." She finished cleaning off the paint.

"I'm sure it would have become a nightmare quickly if you hadn't woke me up." Shego replied rolling over onto her side with her back to Kim. She was too tired for conversation, though she knew Kim would continue even with the subtle hint.

"There's the negativity I've been missing, so how was it? How _vast_ is the army she promised?" Kim questioned.

"Oh a dozen strong. We waited a week, in the forest. Froze our asses off…well…they did. I was just bored, than finally who should come to play, but a small group of men. We mowed down most of them and the rest the palace handled. Wasted everyone's time with that. And finally when Bana shows up she's got about a dozen women with her and says the army is a day's march behind them. So now she gets to wait, I'm getting tired of her."

Kim chuckled under her breath. "Try dealing with her for five years. Better yet, sit through three wars with her and you'll know I've how tired I am of her."

Shego laughed. "Three wars huh?" She reached back took hold of Kim pulling her over her side. Kim yelped in surprise. "Someone most think they're tough shit now." Shego said playfully as she held Kim down with her free hand.

"Hey, I think at this point, I'm about as tough as you." Kim replied as she struggled to free herself.

"I'm going to stop you right here, we are not going to break out the battle scars."

"Why not?" Kim whined.

"Because I've been up for the past week and you know damn well I'd win."

Kim pouted at her answer but gave no retort. Shego was moments from another blissful slumber when she heard someone else intruding on her sleep. "Sorry to interrupt you." A sarcastic tone echoed in Shego's ears.

"No you're not. What do you want Antiope? I want to go back to sleep." She allowed Kim to sit up and slip off the bed to pay her respects. Shego sat up and stared blankly at the woman.

"Well then you're going to love the news I have for you. Dion's army has breached the forest. They are on their way to the palace walls now. The queen wants you and the general in the war room now."

Shego growled and leapt off the bed. "You have got to be shitting me! Are you fucking kidding me! Where the hell is Bana? I'm going to kick her ass right now!" Shego stormed around her room searching angrily for her sword.

Antiope raised a curious brow. "I'm sure you will have plenty of time to…beat her beast of burden but right now we have to prepare for the impending attack." With that she turned on a heel and left.

Shego cursed under her breath, grabbing her sword and followed.

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Shego was the first to storm into the war room. She found the queen table with her head in her hands. Kim and Antiope followed far behind her. The queen lifted her head sighed. "What happened?" She asked Shego in a near whisper.

Shego scoffed and slammed her fist on the talbe. "I'll tell you what happened, Bana must have been slacking off again and…" Antiope stepped forward and placed a heavy hand on Shego's shoulder.

"Allow me. We need not an angry goddess to explain the situation. I believe Bana was over whelmed by the Dion's army before our reinforcements arrived."

Melanippe stepped into the room and quietly scoffed at the explanation. "Over whelmed in deed."

The queen glared at her sister. "I hope you aren't implying anything at such a time dear sister, we have not the time, nor the energy to argue on such a subject. We need to protect the palace and not to mention the women living within it."

Kim unfurled a map on the table. "Her majesty is right; I suggest we evacuate the citizens to our strong hold to the north. If we hurry we can get them there within a day's march."

Antiope clicked her tongue against her teeth. "We don't have a day, we have a few hours at the most and we can't afford to send escorts with them to the stronghold. We need as many warriors as we can get."

"Well we can't keep them here, else we run the risk of serious casualties and possibly worse." Kim spat back.

The queen cleared her throat and both women fell silent. "You both hold a valid point." Both women frowned at one another. "Sister, we need to send our women and children to the stronghold to protect our race. However, general, we cannot afford to send any soldier to escort them. We will simply have to create a diversion to hold Dion back until our citizen's are out of harm's way." She pointed at the map.

"The path is too narrow for the entire army to march upon us in mass, but that will not stop them from trying to surround us through the forest. I trust the traps were set." She looked up at Shego, who smiled devilishly and nodded. "Good, that should thin them out while we distract those on the path. We'll need to keep them at bay until midday. Then we can retreat into the palace and finish them off."

All the women nodded in agreement to the plan, and cleared the room. Melanippe lingered behind with the queen. She looked at her sister with a wary expression. "It is a possibility that Bana…" She was interrupted by the queen holding up her hand.

"I understand your need to protect me and show me the light of certain situations but, now is not the time for such things. Now please, leave me to prepare for battle." Melanippe gave a solemn nod and left the room. The queen returned to resting her head in her hands.

(AN: Okay I want to get this out of the way before anyone says anything. Kim and Shego are not a couple in this story. I know some of you are going to question it with the dream at the beginning of this chapter but save your time, it's purely psychological. I don't want to hear anything about it.)


	17. Distractions, distractions

**Chapter 17: Distractions, distractions**

"Have you ever been in a war before?" Kim asked Shego as they readied for battle.

"No." Shego belted her sword as Kim tied back her hair. Shego picked up her helmet; she couldn't help but notice the Roman influence in the design.

As if reading her mind Kim explained. "Some decades before I came here Roman soldiers were lost in the forest, the women found them…captured more like it, and took the design of their armor and made it their own. You'll notice it when the battle starts."

"And where is your armor?" Shego asked; looking over the redhead while picking up her shield. The queen's mark had been engraved upon it, she was wary of how light it was.

"There are different armor sets for different ranks, that and I can't fight as well when I have my armor on." Kim complained taking a spare and tossing Shego a bow and quiver of arrows.

"You won't need to worry about that with an arrow sticking out of your chest." They walked out of the supply room. All around them warriors marched out to the village and prepared for battle. Each one fought back an enthused grin at the thought of battle.

Kim and Shego made their way through the crowd, the citizens were scattered among the soldiers all giving heartfelt goodbyes. Shego looked around at all the lovers struggling to enjoy one final embrace before parting. Elder sisters giving final words of advice to as mothers stared down with proud tears. Shego couldn't help the feeling of remorse for all of them. She tore herself from the scene and followed Kim to the gates where the soldiers were lined. They made their way through the ever expanding crowd toward the front line. They mounted their horses; Kim nodded to Shego with a stern face and turned her attention to the army before her. She raised her sword high above her head; the only sound that could be heard was the roar of war cries from the soldiers.

The queen, Melanippe and Antiope made their way up to the gates; the army made way for them as their horses slowed to a halt. The queen centered herself between Kim and Shego and addressed the army.

"Beyond this gate is an army of men far larger than ours. Their so called _king_ has insulted us time and time again. Now he wishes to insult us further with the threat of destruction. Little does this _man_, this _coward_ who dares to stand before us, know that he is going against the strongest nation ever to take up sword and shield!" The army erupted in cheers and war cries. "They threaten to enslave us and defile us. Each of us has taken an oath to protect our sisters, our mothers and our very nation with our lives. I urge you all, hold strong to your oaths. Crush these men and keep your nation pure!" The roar of the army was so loud it seemed to make the ground vibrate. They turned their horses to the gates, the queen took in a deep breath as the women banged their swords against their shields, shouting out their approval as the gates opened to reveal the long path that led out of the forest. They began their march out through the gates and down the long narrow path.

They made their way out of the forest with no signs of the enemy. It wasn't until they reached the edge of the forest did they find who they were looking for. The queen visibly stiffened at the sight of the line of men, each one was like an unmovable brick wall. Each man seemed to be more intimidating than the last. At the front sat a line of hooded figures on horseback. Shego couldn't help but acknowledge the chill running up her spine. Something was defiantly wrong here. She looked over to Kim to confirm her suspicion and found she too had to have the same suspicion. Kim fidgeted on her saddle, her horse moved unsteadily under her.

"This isn't right." Antiope said tightening her grip on her bow. "There is something foul in the air." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Before another word could be said a horn was blown and the army charged toward them. The queen's horse reared up and fell into a full gallop, the soldiers followed close behind. The two armies crashed together in an explosion of sound and fury. Kim turned her attention to a formation of soldiers behind her. "Ready." She shouted. The soldiers raised their bows and pulled back their arrows. "Aim…fire." A hale of arrows blackened the sky as they sorrowed through air and falling rapidly to earth. Men all over the field fell to the ground.

"Don't just sit there Shego, do your part and protect the queen." Kim demanded. Shego was thrown from her thoughts at hearing this. She urged her horse into a gallop and rode toward the queen who was already fighting three men. Shego leapt from her horse and joined her when she arrived.

The men fell quickly but were replaced by three more. This went on for hours until Kim ran to join them. "Shego, we need to retreat back to the palace, we're getting exhausted." She shouted between blows.

Shego nodded in agreement and readied herself. "I'll create a distraction you get everyone back to the palace." Kim began to protest but was cut off by a cold stare. The word spread fast amongst the women as Shego took off her helmet and ignited her hands. The men seemed to back away when they saw this. Shego smiled to herself as she felt the familiar heat of plasma in her hands. She began to attack wildly; she threw plasma blasts in all directions. All around her men fell while others screamed in horror, many tried to retreat but found themselves being pushed back toward Shego, by the men marching forward. When she was sure the women were far enough away Shego decided it was time to end her attack and leave. She dosed her hands and made a mad dash for the forest; she could hear the army split. A legion had broken off the army to purse her; she smiled and picked up speed. When she came to the path she ignited her hands again, and blasted down trees to cover the path and ran through the forest.

The legion behind her had no choice but to follow her into the forest. She slipped between trees and leapt over rocks and logs as she led them deeper into the forest. She began to jump from tree to tree to avoid the traps set earlier; she could hear their surprise when one of the men ran into a trap. She continued through the forest until she couldn't hear anything but her own steps as she leapt between trees and over traps. She turned toward the path and raced toward it in hopes of catching up with the Amazons.

When she reached the path she found it empty, the foot prints in the dirt looked hours old. She decided to wait along the side of the road to avoid having to make the long tiring walk down the path alone. She sat against a tree and closed her eyes; she was happy for the chance to rest for the first time in days. She was so relaxed she nearly missed the sound of footsteps coming up behind her. In a matter of seconds, she was on her feet in time to draw her sword and deflect the blow from the hooded figure trying to surprise her.

"I'm just not allowed to rest am I?" She growled as the figure made to attack again. She blocked a few more blows and finally grew weary of the fight. She saw an opening and threw her sword at the figure. It caught the figure's sleeve and pinned them to a thick tree. Shego stepped forward and kicked their sword from their hand and scowled at them. She ripped back their hood and nearly recoiled in shock. "I knew there was something wrong." Her words were a near whisper as the wind kicked up.

Pinned to the tree was Bana, she glared back at Shego with a devilish smile that made Shego's skin crawl. "It's a shame you won't be alive to see the rest of my plan unfold." Bana said, as she lifted her hand and blew a powder into Shego's face.

Shego shook her head, her eyes stung and she found it harder and harder to breath. As her vision burred, her knees buckled under her and fell to the ground. Bana's words were inaudible as she tore her sleeve free from the tree. The world went black as Shego lay in the dirt. Everything went silent, the wind seemed to stop blowing and she felt nothing. Her last thoughts were of the irony of her situation but those quietly faded along with her consciousness.


	18. Rise of the Phoenix

**Chapter 18: Rise of the Phoenix**

A bright spot of light shined far in the distance where Shego lay. She couldn't quiet tell where she was, darkness surrounded her. She felt too weak to stand, but she didn't want to lay in the dark anymore. Where ever that light was coming from it had to be better than where she was now.

She lazily pushed herself up to her hands and knees and began the long crawl toward the spot of light. She felt heavy as she crawled; it seemed her hands began to sink into the dark under her, the farther she went. The closer she got to the spot the more it expanded, but she found it harder and harder to move. With every inch her hands sank deeper until the only part of her body that wasn't engulfed in the thick black underneath her, was her head. She felt herself sinking farther and farther until finally she was once again surrounded by the dark. She felt as though she was moving through tar as she struggled to reach the surface, the light was so close all she needed to do was reach out and tough it. Her hand broke the surface; she clawed her way through until she felt the solid warmth of the light she was so desperately to reach.

She pulled herself up and into the blinding light; as she gasped for air she watched the black tar she pulled herself from leak off of her. As she curled up in the think black puddle around her she hoped for the return of her strength. She felt someone pick her up from the floor; she wrapped her arms around whoever was carrying her. She could hear them whispering to her but the words were almost inaudible. She strained to hear the words but only hear the last few sentences.

"Come away, O human child. To the waters and the wild with a fairy, hand in hand, for the world's more full of weeping than you can understand."

She loosened her grip on the person holding her. Trying to voice her protest but her pleas fell on deaf ears. She wasn't ready to die just yet. She curled herself tighter in her captive's arms and whispered her protests to the Ruby lion still perched on her finger. She was suddenly released, she slowly fell; past the ground her capture stood on through the light and over the darkness.

As she fell she became aware of the air around her as it began to heat up. Fire danced around her and swayed as they turned from red to orange, black to yellow. Everything was hot and smoky; she was the flames that licked that the star filled sky above her. She sat up and looked around her. She was relieved to be back on earth but she had no idea where she was. She stood up unaware of the audience gathered around the burning structure she had been placed on. They gasped and pointed as she leapt down and walked through the clearing that was slowly being made for her. Her audience now looked up at her with tear filled eyes in awe of her. As she passed; unaware of the flames that surrounded her were slowly dying out and leaving a faint glow on her skin. They bowed down to her, murmuring prayers and blessings as she walked by. She paid no attention to them but searched for a familiar face in the crowd.

She felt a painful sting in the pit of her stomach when she did not see Kim in the crowd. She spotted Ariel kneeling at her feet and placed a shaky hand on her shoulder. Without a word Ariel stood and beckoned her away from the crowd.

When they were far enough from the crowd Ariel gave Shego a quick embrace before removing her cloak and throwing it around Shego's shoulders. "You don't have time. The general and the queen were captured in the forest. I suspect it has something to do with whoever killed you, take my horse and retrieve the queen and the general before the second battle at dawn."

Shego didn't have time to focus on what had happened but only followed Ariel to her horse. They slipped between the shadows to the gates where Ariel gave Shego her sword and bow. She wished her luck as the gates opened. Shego raced out through the gates and down the path still trying to make sense of what had happened.

(AN: Sorry this one is so short but I've been working on this chapter for some time now and it's just hard to follow the first part up with anything really.)


	19. Search and Rescue

**Chapter 19: Search and Rescue**

Shego searched for no more than an hour through the massive camp, when she found the tent she had been looking for. Two guards stood watch outside, Shego had done well to stay hidden amongst the tents and shadows. But now it seemed her luck was about to run out. As she was about to make her rescue she saw a hooded figure make their way into the tent. She grimaced and shrank back to the side of the tent. She crouched down and cut a hole in the canvas to see what would happen next.

She could see Kim tied to a post in the center of the tent, she looked in bad shape. Blood dripped down to the dirt from versus wounds. To make matters worse, the queen was nowhere in sight. The figure pulled back their hood kneeled down to her eye level. Shego nearly growled in anger when she saw the figure was Bana, staring happily at Kim while she pulled her slumped head back and pushed it against the post.

"I have to say I missed you General." Bana said with a wicked smile. "I didn't want you to miss this." Before letting Kim's head fall she took the time to spit in her face. Shego made a mental note as she struggled to sit still. Kim gave no reaction to the insult and instead let her head droop for a moment before lifting it to face her new enemy. Shego could see the cuts and bruises on Kim's face, as she addressed her.

"I have to say Bana; I'm surprised you could do such a thing to your own country. But I'm even more surprised you forgot one important thing."

Bana scowled at her for a moment. "And what is that?"

Kim spit a mouth full of blood onto the dirt under her. "You've managed to piss off the entire Amazon nation. What makes you think they won't come to get their queen back?"

Bana gave a long hard laugh before balling her hand into a tight fist and striking Kim across the cheek. "You should worry more about yourself than the queen. We need her for negotiation. You, however, are expendable." She lifted Kim's head to look her in the eyes. "No one is coming to save you. I've killed your precious Shego."

Kim seemed to crumble inward with shock. Bana smiled and climbed to her feet, satisfied with her work. She turned on as heel and exited the tent.

Shego took this time to stand and move along the side of the tent. Watching as Bana ordered the two men standing guard not to let anyone in or out of the tent and stormed off, she took a deep breath before she leapt out and took hold of the nearest guard. She made quick work of breaking his neck and jumping to the next guard. She wrapped an arm around his neck and pinned his arms to his sides with the other. She let him drop to his knees fighting for air before she was sure his heart had stopped and he was through struggling. She dragged the lifeless men out of sight and returned to the tent. Everything seemed to be quiet inside; she slipped into the tent and rushed to Kim's aid.

She fell to her knees and lifted Kim's head to examine her. "Kimmie can you hear me?" She asked lifting her eye lids to check her eyes. The olive green of her eyes were now surrounded by blood. Her hair was now a deep crimson and her lip was split from the final blow. She stared blankly up at Shego who was now cutting the ropes that bond her to the pole. "Okay Kimmie you gotta focus."

Kim slumped over and onto Shego's shoulder. She wasn't going to get much out of Kim now. Shego pulled Kim onto her back and slipped out of the tent. She hid Kim under a near by cart and covered her with a fur. She broke the wheel of the cart to be sure no one would move it and began her search for the queen. It seemed pointless to search blindly around the massive enemy camp but that's what she had resorted to. She darted between shadows following Bana's path in hopes she could find the queen but lost her trial in a sea of footprints. She took a moment to think of her next move when she heard a faint voice a few yards away. She moved closer pressing herself to the shadows as she peered into the opening of a tent.

She tried hard to hold her composure when she saw the queen sitting at the feet of a large man; insult was added to injury when she noticed the queen was chained to the man's thrown. He leaned over and grinned down at her. The queen turned away in disgust.

"You may be all fight now, but my father always said you amazons we're like lambs once a real man broke you." He continued to smile at her before letting out a heavy laugh. Shego slipped deeper into the shadows she heard the faint sound of someone approaching.

She leashed her anger when she saw Bana enter the tent. "Well Dion, I have given you what you wanted. Now if you will give me what we bargained for I will be on my way."

The man raised his head to glare at Bana for a moment. The queen looked at Bana with betrayal and haltered but said nothing. "Our deal is not complete. You promised me the nation, this is only the queen. Until I have the nation in my hands our deal is still incomplete. Now leave me." He said dismissively. Bana hesitated. "Leave me!" He barked. Bana huffed and turned on a heel storming out of the tent. Shego watch her storm off into the dark and turned her attention back to Dion and the queen.

"Seems your captain is becoming impatient. Tell me, how does it feel to be betrayed by your own?"

The queen shook her head and glared up at Dion. Her stare was so cold it seemed to deaden Dion's grin. "The penalty for tension in the nation is worse than death. As of now, she is not one of my own. And you will pay dearly for this." With that she turned away. Without warning Dion stood and grabbed the queen. He lifted her to his eye level.

"I will not have any woman disrespect me in such a way." He hissed. Shego quickly looked around her to see if there was anything to help make a distraction. She sent a plasma blast hurling toward a nearby cart. A massive fire broke out and spread quickly, men rushed out to fight the fire. Dion raced out of his tent to find the source of the chaos. Shego slipped in behind him, the queen sat in the dirt with a dazed look in her eyes.

"I thought you were…" She began.

Shego cut her off. "Yeah this ring does more than I thought. But there's no time for that. It's a matter of time before they notice you're gone." Shego broke the shackles. "Can you run?" The queen nodded and Shego led her out of the tent. The fire had spread quickly through the camp; men threw buckets of water on the blaze. Shego led the way back to the broken cart and uncovered Kim, who made no move to stop Shego from picking her up. They ran to the edge of the camp where Shego's horse waited in the dark.

They wasted no time mounting the horse and racing away from the scene. Shego looked back to see the blaze she had stared, smoke towered high above the camp and far up into the darkened sky. She tore herself from the scene and focused on bigger plans.


	20. In sheep's clothing

**Chapter 20: In sheep's clothing **

"Do you know what deal they were talking about?" Shego asked as she pulled Kim off her horse.

"I'm not sure. This is the first I've heard of any deal between them." The queen said as she slid off the saddle. Shego set Kim down on the side of the road and walked off the path and gave her water. Though it seemed pointless, as most of the water spilled out through Kim's mouth. "Is there time for this?" The queen asked.

"I've got until dawn to bring you and Kimmie back. We've been riding half the night and I'm sure you want to rest too." Shego argued nearly drowning Kim in the process. Defeated the queen sat next to Shego and took a long drink of water. Kim coughed, sending blood splattering up in Shego's face. She slowly and painfully sat up, weakly wiping the blood from her mouth.

"You shouldn't be moving." Shego said in a meek tone. It was amazing Kim was even awake.

"I was tortured for a day; do you think I want to be up?" Kim spat back as she tried to support herself. "I didn't give them any information majesty." She added before slumping over into Shego's shoulder. Shego shook her head and allowed Kim to drink again before seating her on the horse.

"We should get going. The battle will be starting at dawn and we need to get her to a healer." Shego said. She helped the queen onto the horse. "Can you keep her on the horse in full gallop?" Shego asked glancing back down the path. The queen nodded. "Good, then take her back as fast as you can. I'll run the rest of the way." Before the queen could protest Shego whistled, sending the horse speeding off. Shego turned her attention to the forest around her; any direction would have worked for her small detour.

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"Dawn is upon us where is she?" The queen demanded as she paced the floor.

"If I know Shego, she's got something planned." Kim said as she struggled to sit up.

"You need to get some rest. Now lie back down." Ariel argued as she pushed Kim back onto the bed. "I'm sure she will be here soon majesty."

The queen continued to pace. "We shouldn't have left her. I should have demanded she stay on the horse. Now she may have the entire enemy army bearing down on her."

"First of all." Kim interrupted. "It would have taken us much longer to get back here. And there is no telling her what to do. No matter who you are she won't listen. And second, I don't know if you have seen what she can do but I feel more concern for the army than her."

"General." Ariel hissed.

"What? I'm simply stating the truth. I've done more damage to that woman than any army could." Kim said as she found the strength to sit up.

"Yeah no one could do worse than the electrical tower." Shego said from the doorway.

"Oh thank the gods you're alive." The queen proclaimed.

"Yeah, the gods…whatever. Look I have an idea." She threw a shield on to the floor. The women stared at the shield for a long moment, in the center was the enemy symbol crudely painted in blue and white paint.

Kim was the first to break the silence. "You lose your mind haven't you Shego?"

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Dawn peeked over the tops of the trees. Sunlight poured onto the thick wall separating the forest from the town surrounding the palace. Kim walked along the top of the wall past women sitting behind the edge over looking the forest.

"You all know what to do on my signal." Kim announced. She looked back out over the forest and down the path. Her wounds throbbed as her heart beat faster; she busied herself by stringing her bow. She kept an eye on the path, waiting for the army to come. She feared this time they won't win, their back up had never come and now more soldiers were off in the woods with Shego and her suicidal plan.

She finished her work and looked up at the path. A flock of birds had rushed up out of the trees crying out in complaint at that their morning had been disturbed by an oncoming intruder. "Archers." Kim called. The women sitting along the edge stood and faced the forest.

"On my mark." Kim called. The women raised their bows, keeping an arrow in hand. A horn was heard in the forest, soon the heavy beat of horse hooves could be heard on the dirt path. Kim raised her hand.

"Ready on my mark." She cried trying hard to swallow the lump in her throat. The path suddenly let out a mass of men clocked in a sea of blue and white.

"Aim." Kim called. Her stomach turned as she took aim at one of the men charging forward. She told herself it was all in self defense.

"Fire!"

A sea of arrows cut through the air, each one hitting a man and sending them to the ground.

"Fire!"

Another hail of arrows came, more men fell. The army was now at their doors.

"Fire at will!" Kim called as she rushed to the other side of the wall. "Strengthen the barricade." She called down. Soldiers rushed to the doors and Kim turned her attention back to the army beating at the wall. Ladders were set against the wall and sent back down in flames. Arrows fell down by the hundreds and still more men came.

Kim looked out at the edge of the forest; she stared in horror at the massive catapults wheeling in. She rushed back to the other side. "Take cover!"

She began to fire her arrows at an alarming rate in hopes of slowing down the army. She hadn't seen the sudden activity amongst the men at the edge of the forest. Many of them began to disappear into the forest, replaced by different soldiers. She only saw the catapults fire massive boulders toward the wall. She tensed up as the boulders flew threw the air toward her, only to fall desperately short and hitting the ground and rolling toward the wall. They rolled through the sea of men charging toward the wall. She turned her head at the sight of the boulders rolling crashing into the army and rolling over men who tried to flee.

Kim turned her attention back to the fight. The boulders had slowed enough to do no damage to the wall. She looked back out to the forest edge and saw the catapults falling, and a separate battle had ensued amongst the soldiers. Kim strained to see what had happened; far in the distance she saw a flash of bright green. She cursed under her breath. She raised her hand high in the air, the arrows stopped and the archers slid back behind the wall.

"I want my best at the wall." She called. Several archers stood lined up in front of her. She pointed to the battle that had broken out. "Do not fire unless you know they are not one of your own." She warned, the lump in her throat returned with a vengeance, choking her in mid sentence. She signaled for them to take their posts, they drew their arrows and began to fire. Kim turned her attention to the remaining archers seated along the wall. "Prepare to charge the door." She said in a coarse tone.

She descended the stairs leading off the wall. The queen was already seated on her horse waiting for Kim's approach. Kim swallowed the lump in her throat called for her horse. "Are you sure you want to fight majesty?" Kim asked as she nervously mounted her horse.

"I'm never sure what the day holds for me until I rest my head." The queen said slipping on her helmet.

"I'd rather you had gone with the civilians." Kim argued.

The queen shook her head and rested a hand on Kim's shoulder. "You know as well as I do that I must fight. I can't abandon my warriors when they need me the most."

Kim swallowed down the sick feeling in her stomach. She hated that the queen had made such a good point. As the doors slowly opened her hands tightened on her rains. She could feel her finger nails cutting into her skin as they charged out to the awaiting army leading a mass of soldiers with them. Kim could hardly believe who well Shego's plan had worked. Box in the army, cut them off the world and take them down in one day. She couldn't help but wonder what could possibly go wrong with this plan.

"Don't daydream general! Just get the job done!" Antiope shouted as she leapt from her horse and charged a massive man. Kim shook her head and continued to fight through the crowd keeping an eye of the queen and the flashes of green plasma that would appear every so often.

Soon it was high noon, the army had dwindled to a few thousand, Kim was beginning to feel fatigue from the battle but refused to quit. She had managed to stay close to the queen throughout the day but lost her in a sudden and swift blow to the head from a familiar face.

"Didn't think you would be up and fighting so soon general." Bana said standing over Kim.

"Well Bana I have to say…" She kicked Bana away from her and leapt to her feet. "It's a good thing you hit like a skinny armed little girl. Else I'd be scared." She ripped off her now dented helmet and tried to forget about the ringing in her ears. Bana drew her sword, Kim dropped into a defensive stance. She had dropped her sword when she was hit and now had to rely on her fighting skills, until she could gain the upper hand or at the very least even the fight.

Bana lurched out at her missing Kim by inches. Kim took hold of her hand and pulled her into a hard punch to the stomach. Bana dropped to her knees and Kim backed away, ready for another attack. She wanted to make the fight quick but she couldn't help playing it out so she could exact her revenge. Bana climbed to her feet and staggered toward her for another attack. Kim took the time to disarm her and rip off the women's helmet.

She soon fell into an unfamiliar rage. It controlled her every move, putting more force into her kicks and putting everything she had into her punches.

"Stop." A familiar voice cried. Kim forced herself to back away from the mess she had made and turned to see Ariel, bow in hand, with an arrow drawn in their direction. Kim raised a hand to explain but the arrow was released. Kim closed her eyes waiting for her end. A long moment went by and a thud was heard she opened her eyes to see a man lying next to her. Bana and Ariel had disappeared into the battle; Kim cursed under her breath and went to search for the queen.


	21. Death of the monarch

**Chapter 21: Death of the monarch **

It wasn't long before she had found the queen; she stood panting with three men dead at her feet. She looked up at Kim with a wide eyed stare of amazement. Kim stared in shock as Dion's massive frame rise up behind her. Kim ran to protect her but was a moment too late. The queen turned to see Dion drop his sword. With one swing of his sword the queen had fallen. Kim stopped in her tracks at the sight; the whole world seemed to slow down. She had to crane her neck upward just to see Dion's war torn face. She let out a terrible scream that seemed to stop the battle all together. Everyone turned to see the queen lying in the grass with Dion glaring down at her. The air was suddenly filled with the shrieks and screams of every woman on the battle field.

Kim was now paralyzed by shock, as Dion stepped over the queen and approached her. He grasped her by the neck and lifted her to eye level. He smiled and turned back to glance at the fallen queen. "I think you will make an excellent concubine." He said in a wicked tone. Kim could hardly breathe now as her body became numb.

"Hey." Someone called. Dion turned his attention to Shego angrily throwing her sword aside. "I believe you have something of mine." She ignited her hands. "Put her down before I take your hand along with her."

Dion laughed, enclosing his hand around Kim's neck. Shego cocked her head to the side a smile curled the corners of her lips. In the blink of an eye, Kim fell to the ground gasping for air while Dion looked at the charred remains of his wrist. Shego had kept to her word and was now preparing for another attack. Dion held back a look of shock and glared at Shego, who only smiled at him in return. Dion began a slow walk toward her which quickly turned to a full charge.

Shego stood in her place until he thrust his sword out. She dropped to ground and swept his legs out from under him. He fell to the ground with a thud that shook the ground. Shego wasted no time taking his sword; she stepped back and allowed him to stand. "You wouldn't kill an unarmed man." Dion said as he struggled to his feet.

Shego nodded. "Your right, I wouldn't kill an unarmed man." She threw his sword aside. "But I don't know about them." She said jerking her thumb behind her toward the palace wall. In a moment dozens of arrows cut through the air whizzing past Shego's head all hitting their mark without fail. Shego turned away at the sight of Dion falling. She helped Kim to her feet hurried to where the queen still lay. The battle was slowly dying down around them as the last few men were defeated.

Reality had hit and now they were left to deal with the loss of the queen. Soon a group had formed around them and the queen, Ariel placed her bow in the queen's hands and helped carry her, the long distance back to the palace. Kim and Shego were left alone as the women marched behind the funeral procession. Kim whipped the sweat from her face and stared down at Dion.

"You did good princess." Shego said resting a gentle hand on Kim's shoulder.

"War isn't something I wanted to be good at." Kim said with a sigh.

"What do you want to with him?" Shego asked.

"Get a horse."

888

Kim and Shego rode through the doors to see the town filled with soldiers. As they made their way through the crowd made a wide path for them to pass. Many of them paying their respects while others; turned their attention to the cart behind them.

"This feels wrong, even for me." Shego whispered, glancing back at Dion.

Kim shook her head. "He killed one of the best queens this nation has ever seen. We have to let them have their retribution."

They stopped in the middle of town. Kim and Shego dropped to the ground. Kim addressed the crowd while Shego stood uneasily off to the side. "This is the man responsible for taking the queen's life."

Kim turned and quietly led Shego into the palace, as the crowd surrounded the cart. They walked quietly to the throne room where Melanippe and Antiope stood over the queen.

"We have to elect a new queen." Antiope said in a harsh tone.

"This isn't the time for that." Melanippe said pushing the tears from her eyes.

"Melanippe is right. We have a lot to do before we can elect a new queen." Kim said nervously fidgeting with her hands before finally crossing her arms over her chest.

They all stared at one another before Antiope spoke up. "We need to delegate the tasks. Melanippe, you see to the funeral. General, you and I will escort the citizens back to the town. Shego, I want you to hunt down that trader Bana. See to it she comes back alive and in one piece. It'll be easier to bring her back that way."

Everyone accepted their tasks without argument. Shego was the first to leave the room; she searched the palace until she found Ariel leaning against the railing of a balcony. Her eyes filled with tears as she looked down at the soldiers in the town.

"You and I have to find Bana." Shego said after a long moment. Ariel jumped slightly and turned to face Shego.

"What?" She asked drying her eyes.

"I've been given the job of finding Bana. She disappeared during the battle. I have to find her and bring her back." Shego said looking over the railing at the crowd below.

"She couldn't have gotten too far. The general had done quite a bit of damage to her. I just hope she can stand trial in her state." Ariel said in an unsympathetic tone.

"Well we have to bring her back alive. Now let's go, every minute we spend standing around is another step that gets her further away from us."


	22. The hunt

**Chapter 22: The Hunt**

Shego smiled she kneeled down to the tracks in the dirt. Ariel kneeled down next to her to observe. She pointed to the spots of dried blood that dotted the plants around them.

"This had to have been a few hours ago." Shego said looking for any other signs.

"How can she keep going at this rate?" Ariel asked.

Shego stood and fixed her bow. "If you were in her shoes you would keep moving too. Now come on, I want to get her just as bad as everyone else but we're the only ones with the good sense to keep her alive."

They began their long trek through the forest until they came to a stream. Shego was the first to step out of from the brush only to leap back in. She pulled Ariel back and pointed downstream. They watched as a lame figure greedily drank from the stream looking up every so often to be sure they were alone.

Ariel quickly drew an arrow and aimed for the figure. But before she could fire Shego took hold of her shoulder. She shook her head and began her slow creep through the trees and brush down the stream. Ariel stood back with her arrow ready. It wasn't long before Shego was peering at the figure drinking from the stream. She held back the urge to pounce and waited for the figure to lift their head. She impatiently clawed at the tree trying to hold herself back. She nearly ripped a chunk out of the tree when she found herself staring at Bana as she slowly stood from the steam and began her slow limp toward her.

She slid back around the tree and waited for Bana to come into view. She was ready to capture the woman when her plan was interrupted by the snap of a twig. Bana froze in her tracks, Shego glared at Ariel who hid herself behind a bush. Shego gritted her teeth and pressed herself against the tree hoping she wouldn't be spotted.

She cursed at the sound of quick steps echoing away from her. She leapt out from behind the tree to see Bana's fading form. She began to chase her with Ariel in tow. "Aim for her ankle, we need her alive." Shego called as she stopped to shoot an arrow at her target. She hit a tree and Bana made a quick turn, she shot another arrow making her turn again. "Any time now." Shego called. Ariel shot her arrow and watched as Bana stumbled but continued to hop through the forest.

"Why won't she go down?!" Ariel demanded as they continued to chase her.

"Oh forget this!" Shego yelled as she stopped and shot another arrow, hitting Bana's other ankle. Bana finally fell to the ground. "Finally." Shego proclaimed. They slowed to a steady walk and stopped were Bana lay, her face buried in the dirt as hot tears poured from her eyes and mixed with the blood and dirt of her face. Shego pulled the arrows from her ankles and turned her over.

"I hope you know that I hate chasing people." She lifted her up and slammed her into a tree. "We're going to take you back now. And if I have to chase you again, I'm going to beat you worse them Kim did. Do you understand?" Bana nodded vigorously and Shego set her back on her feet only to watch her drop to the ground. She allowed a small smile at the corner of her lips.

"Well now we have to carry this trader." Ariel pouted. Shego pushed her bow into Ariel's hands and lifted Bana to her feet.

"What did you do to me?" Bana begged as she tried to stand on her own.

"We just cut your Achilles tendons no need to cry about it." Shego said as she watched her fall to the ground again. Ariel chuckled as she began to tie Bana's hands together. Shego picked her up again and began walking back toward the palace.

After an hour of silence Shego decided to ask a burning question. "So Bana, what did you stand to gain from all this?"

Bana grunted and Shego dropped her, Bana let out a groan before Shego kneeled down to face her. "I could bring you back in pieces if that's what you really want. But if I were you, I'd want at least one person to hear me out. Now are you going to answer my question or not?"

Bana glared at the ropes binding her hands. Ariel heaved an impatient sigh. "We don't have time for interrogation."

"I'm not about to explain myself to you." Bana growled.

"I tried to help you out but if you want it that way, fine." Shego said as she took hold of the rope around her wrists and began to drag her toward the palace.

It was another two hours before they walked through the gates. The town was packed with soldiers and civilians. The town had a heavy sadness about it which turned to anger the moment they entered. Shego could see Dion's body hanging on the wall, she felt a cold chill run down her spine and continued to walk through the town with Bana dragging behind her. Many soldiers yelled out cursed and threw rotting food at Bana.

Out of frustration Shego stopped and turned to the crowd. "You will have your chance when we are done with her. But if I hear one more person or see one more piece of food you will answer to me." The crowd quickly died down and Shego made her way into the palace. She took this time to ask Bana why she had betrayed them and was spit on in return.


	23. A new queen

**Chapter 23: A new queen**

"What is this?" Shego asked Ariel as they walked into a dim room. Ariel only shushed her and led her to the middle of the room. Bana struggled between them. Kim sat with Antiope and Melanippe.

"This is a bias trial!" Bana announced as she struggled to free herself.

"Captain, if you speak out of turn again we will sentence you without a hearing." Antiope barked.

"As per Amazon law, the leaders from each tribe must to give a fair hearing to those who commit high crimes against the nation. Since we are without a queen we must have General Possible take her place in this hearing." Melanippe recited with robotic accuracy. Bana seemed to shrink at the mention of Kim.

"Bana you stand accused of high treason and contributing to the death of our queen. How do you plead to these charges?" Antiope hissed.

At this Bana seemed to collapse. Tears flooded her eyes and heaving sobs erupted from her as she curled into a tight ball on the floor. Shego and Ariel looked down on her with pity as she shook.

"Contain her." Antiope said in a stony voice. Ariel picked Bana up off the floor allowing the sobbing woman to hold onto her for support. "What is your plea?" Antiope demanded.

Bana brushed the tears from her eyes. "Guilty."

"Then the general will announce your punishment." Antiope said in a harsh tone.

"Before I pass down my sentencing, I want to know one thing Bana. Why did you do this? You were there for her longer than anyone else; I can't comprehend why you would turn on her like this."

Bana scoffed. "I didn't do this by choice. I would have never willingly betrayed my country. He took something from me, I could stop at nothing to get that back."

"And what was so important that would make you turn over your country and your queen?" Kim asked in a mild tone. The room tensed up at the question.

Bana only hung her head. "It isn't something I suspect you would understand. And I will not hang my shame on it."

There was a long silence before Kim spoke again. "I won't sentence you to death. Though I know no one will agree with this decision. I will, however, sentence you to banishment from our nation. If you try to return, your punishment will be death. I believe living with what you have done with be worse than death itself." Kim stood from her seat and walked out of the room. It was clear she was not going to change her mind.

888

Shego stood on the balcony overlooking the funeral below, she absent mindedly played with the ring on her finger. She thought about the day she had dropped out of the sky, she had no idea she would be here for nearly an entire year. Everything went so fast she barely had time to focus on what was going on around her.

She sighed and watched the funeral below. She listened to the weak sound of women weeping while Kim tossed her torch onto the platform where the queen's body lay, and then turn away. Shego glanced at the ring again; they would be headed home soon enough. She noticed Kim staring up at her and stepped away from the railing.

"It's a shame had to die so young." A voice stated. Shego felt her heart leap into her throat from the surprise of someone sneaking up on her. Shego turned to see the oracle seated on the railing.

"How the hell did you…" Shego began but trailed off.

"It's best not to question anything about me." The girl said. Shego rolled her eyes at the statement. "And it's best to show respect to the one telling your future." She added. Shego decided not to provoke the girl and hear her out.

"So what do I owe the pleasure of you shoeing up out of thin air?" Shego asked, whatever it was, it had to be important. Though after her last encounter with the oracle made her sick to her stomach she knew she would have to endure another visit.

"I had a vision. You and the general will be leaving very soon." The girl said slipping off the railing and strolling toward Shego.

"Are you here to wish a hardy fare well?" Shego asked with her usual sarcasm.

"You will find that your work is far from over when you return to your own time. Keep the Ruby lion in safe hands and you will not have to worry about your troubled past." He girl said before walking past Shego and leaving her alone. She began to feel that familiar dizziness before her knees buckled and everything went black.

888

"Shego…Shego get up we don't have time for you to sleep now get up." Ariel shook her awake.

"What is with that girl?" Shego asked as she slowly sat up.

"I don't know what you're talking about. Now come, the counsel is ready to choose the new queen. We are already late."

888

Ariel and Shego slid around a corner as they searched for the room the counsel was in. They found Kim outside of a door nervously pacing around the hall. She stopped when she saw Ariel and Shego then began franticly waving them over.

"What took you so long? We have to be in there right now." Kim said opening the door and pushing them through. Ariel and Kim quickly kneed down before the three old women. They pulled Shego with them and waited for the women to speak.

"General Possible." One of the women began in a cracked voice. "We have talked in great detail about your achievements over the past few years; your leadership skills have gone unmatched." Kim seemed to squirm under her words but said nothing.

"However, you have not had the proper tutelage for such a position, which brought us to Shego." Shego felt a chill run down her spine at the mention of her name. She wanted to rule the world one day but not like this.

"You were a choice of great interest amongst us but you showed no interest in leading the Amazon nation, and we would not ask you to lead our nation if we knew you would not put your full commitment into it. The led us to our final candidate. Ariel. Over the years you have show exceptional leadership skills, the queen kept you in close quarters. You have gone above and beyond for your nation. Which is why the counsel has chosen you to be our queen."

Ariel seemed to shiver as one of the women stood and placed the silver band atop her head. "Do you swear to lead your country and your people?"

"Until my final breath."


	24. Welcome Home!

**Chapter 24: Welcome home!**

"Are you sure you have to leave?" Ariel asked Shego as she strung her bow. "You could have anything you want here, why would you want to leave?"

"If you haven't noticed Kimmie and I don't belong here. This was a lot of fun but I came here for one thing. Now that I have her back we've got to get back to work." Shego said examining an arrow. "I'd ask you to come with but I don't think you'd like the life of a thief."

"See there you go again, why would you want the life of a thief when you are treated like a god? You're waited on hand and foot."

"That's what the spa is for."

"You can have anything you desire."

"I take anything I want."

"You have an entire army under your charge."

"I don't like traveling in groups."

"You truly are a stubborn woman."

Shego only smiled at her in response. She looked down at the arrow in her hand. "How about one final wager?"

Ariel raised a brow. "I'm listening."

"If I hit the target then I get to leave. If you hit it then I'll stay." Ariel aimed at the target across the field. Shego laughed and showed her a coin. "This is the target."

Shego flipped the coin high into the air. Ariel shot her arrow and Shego hurled a plasma blast, the coin exploded. As bits of gold rained down Ariel turned and glared at her. Shego shrugged in indifference. "One thing you need to learn about life. It's full of loop holes."

"Wise words from a thief." Ariel teased.

"Just think of our wagers as a good life lesson. Never make a bet that you can't work in your favor."

888

"You ready to go?" Shego asked Kim as they listened to Ariel's address to the nation.

"Can't we just stay a little longer? She's so young; she's going to need our help." Kim debated.

Shego laughed and crossed her arms. "She's going to do fine, besides we've got a lot to do at home. We still have to give your old partner what's coming to her and there's quite a few things that aren't nailed down just waiting to decorate our houses. Now get ready…I have no idea where we are going to land."

Shego took Kim by the arm and closed her eyes, before they had time to brace themselves they were gone. Shego felt her stomach turn at the sensation of falling; she opened her eyes in time to see her mother's kitchen ceiling as she fell out of thin air and smashed unto the table. It snapped under her weight and toppled down with her.

"Okay, I'm never ever going to get used to that." Shego groaned. Kim appeared above her and fell unto her. "Nope never going to get used to this." Shego moaned. Gina ran into the kitchen and stared down at the women lying amongst the broken pieces of her table.

"Elyse I thought I told you to fix the table. And what are you wearing?" Gina turned her attention to Kim as she helped Shego out of the wreckage. "Oh Kim, it's so nice to see you made it back okay."

Shego collapsed in a chair and stared at her mother. "I've been gone for a year, I've been through a war for god's sake and this is the welcome I get?" Shego complained.

Gina rolled her eyes and looked at her watch. "By my time you've been gone for fifteen minutes. You want a welcome? Welcome back, now stop complaining and fix the table like I asked you before you went gallivanting around the past with Kim."

Shego huffed and pointed to the table. "I fixed the table before I left. I stood right here and fixed this flimsy ass table that can't take more than twenty pounds." As she spoke the table began to slowly piece itself back together, within seconds the table was fixed. Kim stared in awe while Gina sighed.

"Next time you break something, you're fixing it by hand. I don't want you depending on that ring all the time." Gina said. "Now both of you should go change, you look like you stepped out of a bad Xena episode."


	25. Covering the trail

**Chapter 25: Covering the trail**

"What do you have up your sleeve Shego?" Kim asked as they sat in a stolen car outside of an upscale town house. Shego gave Kim her trade mark smirk.

"You'll find out in time Princess." Shego said as she stepped out and walked around to the trunk. She walked back with a bag in hand and waved Kim out of the car.

"What are we doing?" Kim asked as she climbed out of the car hiding her face from passers by. "What's in the bag?" Kim asked as Shego walked toward the house.

"You'll see, in time." Shego replied with a joyful tone. Kim chuckled and followed Shego as she slipped into the house. Shego walked around the house while Kim stood guard at the window. Shego came back around with a huff. "She doesn't have anything in this place." She complained.

"Why don't you just use that ring on your finger to do whatever it is you're going to do so we can get out of here?" Kim asked in a jealous and hurried tone.

"Because, I don't like to use it. It takes energy. The bigger the task the more it takes. It nearly knocked me out to get us back to this time." Shego said as she stared down at the ring on her finger. Kim suddenly straightened up. Shego gave her a perplexed stare before she heard someone at the door. Shego cursed under her breath. Kim darted up the stairs and Shego ran to the kitchen.

Moments later, heavy footsteps could be heard. Shego pressed herself against the kitchen cabinets trying to remain hidden, she felt foolish for her attempt at hiding when the steps could be heard coming toward the kitchen. She sighed and closed her eyes waiting for what was to come, until she felt herself begin to sink into the cabinets she had pressed herself against. She gasped as she fell back and slid backward, she fell into a small room. The heavy bag she had brought with her fell into her arms seconds later.

She ignited a hand and illuminated the room. She found herself surrounded by massive piles of books and maps hung of the walls. She walked around the room examining the maps and reading over the notes. She raised a brow at the blue prints of banks all over the city. She shook her head and continued her search around the room. Nothing really jumped out, until a photo of her came into view. The photo was attached to a thick folder filled with documents and photos that had piled up over the years, she looked through the folder filled with false information she had planted years earlier to keep her personal life as hidden as possible.

She closed the folder and turned to leave before she turned back and picked up the folder. Under it lay a thin folder for Kim, she couldn't resist the urge to look through it. But the she reached down to read the contents she remembered Kim possibly still up stairs. She gathered up the folders and began her search for an exit. It wasn't long before she found a latch to a small door in the ceiling and climbed in.

After a long cumbersome crawl she reappeared in the ally behind the house. As she crawled out she heard a whisper from up above. She looked up to see Kim perched on the roof of the house.

"What the hell are you doing up there?" Shego hissed as she gathered up the folders. Kim pointed down to the open window below where she sat. Shego rolled her eyes. "Get down here." She demanded. Kim shrugged and leapt off the roof, landing heavily next to Shego and staggering to stand back up.

"Okay it's been a while since I've done that." Kim groaned. Shego shook her head and dragged Kim out of the ally.

888

Shego combed through Kim's file with great interest, while her mother examined Kim's ankle.

"Shego will you just burn that thing? I can't stand you knowing that much about my life." Kim complained.

Shego laughed. "Oh it's not so bad. Besides, she's no threat, just stick with me and this will go smoothly." Shego tossed Kim's file on the table and crossed her arms over her chest. She looked to her mother as she wrapped a bandage around Kim's foot. "Well Kim you've successfully sprained your foot. Just don't jump off anymore rooftops for a couple of days. Do you think that's possible Elyse?" She said glaring at her daughter.

"Well mom, I'm not the one who told her to run up the stairs or hurl herself off a roof. I just told her to get off the roof, how she got off the roof was up to her. I wouldn't have chosen such a direct rout but that's just me." Shego replied with a shrug.

Kim scoffed and thanked Gina before she stood and immediately sat back down. She murmured in a painful complaint and stood again before walking out of the room. Gina stared at Shego for a long moment. As Shego squirmed uncomfortably under her mother's stare she kept her eyes on the table.

"What ever it is you have planned speed it up before you end up putting her in the hospital."

"I'm working as fast as I can. After all this is over she and I can get back to business as usual." Gina eyed her daughter for a long moment before leaving the room. Shego breathed a sigh of relief and picked up Kim's file again. She stacked it on her own file and walked them outside. She stopped in the backyard and kneed down. She dug a hole deep into the earth and dropped the folders in. She ignited her hand and lit the folders. As she watched the small blaze consume the folders she reached into her pocket for her phone.

"You know where the house is." She said. "Be sure to check the cabinets, there's something you'll want to see. Be sure to time everything like we planned, I'll talk to you when this is all over." She hung up the phone as the fire died out and covered the cinders with dirt.


	26. Payback

**Chapter 26: Payback**

Some days later Shego and her mother stood at the front door. Kim had already said her goodbyes and was waiting by the car. "Um, I just want to say thanks. You know for helping me and Kimmie out." Shego began as she stared down at the floor. "I uh…Iloveyou…and all." Shego muttered as she surprised her mother by pulling her into a tight embrace but as quickly as it came she pulled away. Gina was in awe at her daughter's sudden actions. She smiled at Shego and shook her head.

"I can only guess this burst of emotion means I'm not going to see you for a while?" Shego shrugged and looked toward Kim who patiently waited for her. "Will you at least write this time?" Shego smirked at her mother and quietly chuckled under her breath. "Oh you're nothing like your brothers." Gina stated brushing the hair out of Shego's eyes. "They're grown men and they still can't let go of their mother's skirt." They both laughed at this.

Gina took a moment to steal a final embrace than pulled away. "Now try to stay out of trouble, I can't keep harboring my children from the law. It makes me look like a terrible mother."

888

"How do you they're here?" Ron whispered as they quietly made their way toward the front door of a town house.

"Anonymous tip." Wade replied as he waved for the team behind him to move ahead.

"Well I hope this is the right one. Betty is getting impatient; she wants us to find Kim and Shego now." Ron said pressing himself against the wall.

"I'm sure we'll find something here." Wade said before kicking in the door. As the group stormed in Wade slowly made his way into the house. Echoes of all clear spread through the house. Ron growled in frustration, Wade ignored him and made his way to the kitchen.

He began opening the cabinet doors, each one holding no real interest until he reached a door he could not open. He tried to pry the door open but his fingers slipped off the door. He stood and kicked the door impatiently. The door collapsed inward to reveal a small passage. "Found something." He called before kneeing down and shining a light into the hole. He crawled through and slid down into the hidden room landing with a thud on the floor. He painfully stood up and saw Eve glaring at him from across the room, a heavy bag sat open at her feet and a small blue fox statue was clutched in her hand.

Wade smiled at her. "Well, this is a surprise."

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_Middleton, one week later…_

_Blue Fox unmasked!_

_Goble Justice official, Betty Director, announced yesterday that the infamous thief, known only as the Blue Fox, was finally captured after a seven year search. The identity of the Blue Fox was a surprise to many in the European art district as the identity of the thief was none other than Anastasia Laredo. Well known art dealer for many of Europe's elite art collectors. All suspects in the Blue Fox search have been dropped one of them being former hero Kim Possible, who could not be found for questioning… _

Kim folded her newspaper and laughed. "You didn't."

Shego smirked. "Oh I did. I couldn't resist getting her out of the way. Now I believe we're free to do whatever we want."

Kim's smile faded as she looked down at the pavement. "If we can do anything we want, can we go back?"

Shego seemed to lose herself in thought for a moment. "I think we don't belong here anymore." She began looking around the empty street. "I think it probably is time to go where we feel a little more welcome."

Kim perked up. "Really?"

Shego nodded. "Yeah I think so. Besides, being a thief just isn't as fun anymore."


	27. Home coming

**Chapter 27: Home coming **

Kim and Shego stood at the top of a high building over looking Middleton. Kim gave Shego a nervous smile but Shego didn't return the gesture. Instead she held out her hand and asked. "Are you ready?"

Kim took her hand nodded. Together they dove off the building, air rushed swiftly passed them as they fell. Moments later they hit the salty water of the ocean, they swam to the surface gasping from the cold temperature. Kim looked around and pointed to land a few miles ahead of them. Shego looked back in a panic and pointed to the storm headed toward them. Both women swam as fast as they could toward the shore. The storm quickly covered the sky above them, rain fell all around them. Lighting and thunder crashed in the dark gray clouds, waves nearly drown them as they swam side by side.

A massive wave rose up behind them and Shego reached out to take hold of Kim but the wave came crashing down on them. Shego was pushed deep down into the sea; the more she tried to reach the surface the more waves pushed her back down. Everything around her got darker and bleaker until she closed her eyes.

888

Shego felt herself being pushed by the water onto the shore. The sun warmed her skin, but she found it harder and harder to breathe. She could hear her name in the distance but couldn't will herself to move or open her eyes. She felt herself being turned over onto her back and air forcing its way into her lungs. The pressure was so overwhelming she had to release it all. She couched and sputtered, cringing at the salt water from her lungs splashing back into her face. She rolled over onto her side and continued to couch and gasp for air.

"Shego! You're alright!" Kim said helping her sit up. Shego pushed the hair out of her eyes and wiped her face. She looked around the shore they had washed up on, and the soaked redhead kneeling down beside her. "We're about a two day's ride south from the Amazon nation." Kim said, as if reading her mind. "I don't know how we're going to get there."

At this Shego climbed to her feet and began walking toward the water. She stopped midway and lifted her hand toward the sea. She breathed deeply and closed her eyes. As she concentrated on her task the water began to swirl in a whirlpool. It began to raise and fall until finally it began to move toward the shore, soon tow horses could be clearly seen bucking and galloping out of the water. Kim cheered and jumped around her uncontrolled excitement. Shego climbed onto one of the horses and waited for Kim to climb onto hers. They raced north toward the nation without another word.

After two days of riding without stopping, they found themselves on the path to the palace. They stopped for a brief moment to stare down the path in awe. Shego gave Kim a weary smile and the two raced down the path. Both women hollowed and cheered as they fought for the lead. The doors of the thick walls opened for them as they raced. They rushed through the village the women chased after them joining in on their cheering and hollowing. They rode into the palace and toward the thrown room. The horses began to fall apart, each piece that broke off melting into walked.

Soon they were sliding across the floor of the thrown room, stopping just a few feet from the woman, in her early twenties, seated on the thrown. Her long hair freely washed over her shoulders and her bow rested against her knee. Atop her head sat a gold band. She looked down at Kim and Shego standing before her, they awkwardly kneed down in respect trying not to slip in the puddle of water around them. The woman smiled and stood from her thrown.

"Oh it's been so long. I thought I would never see you two again." She said happily approaching them. They stood and embraced her.

Shego replied in a cocky tone. "Well, Ariel I never said we weren't coming back now did I?"

(AN: That't it. The series is over but don'r fret, there is a spin off in the making. I won't tell you what it is now but you'll find out in time.)


End file.
